Heart to Heart

Well Gossip Girl and How I Met Your Mother fans have something in common tonight (And I'm lucky I'm both). Not only did the season finales of both shows premiere, but both audiences are now living in fear of love fulfilled... sort of.

So Upper East Siders/Brooklynians, we've waited, and waited, and waited for 2 whole seasons. We've held our tongue as Chuck fled to various Asian countries and smoked a myriad of exotic substances. We've bit our pillow as Blair sabotaged herself by getting back together with Nate, AGAIN (and even sleeping with an uncle here and there). We've thrown stuffed animals at the t.v. as we watched the horrifying Chuck/Vanessa love fest. We've seen it all and lived to tell the tale. And now, FINALLY... SPOILER ALERT... Chuck said, "I love you too." Never have 4 little words made me so happy and so scared at the same time. My fears are likely the same of the show's creators, and the every writer from here to eternity. Once the girl and boy get together... what comes next? Do you break them up again right away? Do you delve deep into "relationship stuff?" Do you bring in a mystery man or woman to stir up trouble? Or do you pull an Office, and just let them be happy, get engaged and have babies? Since they'll all be going to college next year, apparently with Georgina (she's baaaack, semi-permanently it looks like), it's likely that even with the love in their hearts, it won't be smooth sailing for B and C. Buuuut, in Chuck's own words, they're inevitable. Which means, if we're lucky and the show doesn't immediately go downhill, we have good stuff worth tuning in for next season, which starts August 31st! So mark your calendars, before the summer's officially out, we'll be back in GG land. As far as the other less important plot lines go, Rufus and Lily got engaged, Jenny is the new Queen Bee, Dan, Vanessa and Georgina are going to NYU, Serena and Carter Baizen are off to find Mr. Van der Woodsen, Nate will be joining Vanessa on a backpacking trip through Europe afterall, Lily and Rufus' love child is in NYC going to NYU and he knows who his parents are, and Nelly Yuki always loved Dan. Head on over to the tumblr for my memorial to the happy event (B&C, not Nelly Yuki).

Somewhere, in another part of NYC (a considerably more affordable part), we find Robin and Barney at a crossroads. As soon as either one tries to admit real feelings to the other, they instantly back away from their declaration, showing once again that they're perfect together. But perfection is complicated, and their qualities in common will likely continue to keep them apart, at least for awhile (and apart from a few late night meetings). They did share a kiss (which didn't quite have the poignancy of Blair and Chuck's) and luckily for the writers, the kiss didn't answer any questions. So it's not quite "love fulfilled" for Barney and Robin, but there is love in the air. And we now know that Ted's future wife is somewhere in his new architecture class... yeah, that narrows it down. Bastards.

Oh and we meet the goat. It was anti-climactic.

So till next season New York television show lovers, keep your eye on DVD release dates, and news from Watch with Kristin and Ask Ausiello on the fates ahead.

Ya Heard? (A New Column on Do You Have a Flag?)

Ya Heard? is a new series that you'll hopefully look forward to reading/listening to here on Do You Have a Flag? It'll focus on music and film/television, whether it's pointing out a new song, a new band, an old song, an old band, or rockin' score, or just something you need to listen to for whatever reason. Ya Heard will happen with some regular consistency, but it won't necessarily be a weekly column like Break Out! And what better way to start the series than with one of my fav shows, Gossip Girl...

So not only do all the stars of Gossip Girl love to date each other...

but now apparently they all aspire to rock careers. It started with Mr. Ed Westwick who fronts the Brit band, "The Filthy Youth." Like a lot of the bands we see come out of Britain, Filthy Youth is dripping with the dirty, gritty guitar, unwashed hair and auditory accents. It's clear that long before he was GG's resident bad boy and snappy dresser Chuck, Ed had dreams of becoming the next Caleb Followill. But as it turns out, and often does in these cases, Westwick's acting career has brought him much more success than his rock one.

The Filthy Youth's Boy Don't Smoke Video

And then there's Westwick's television better half, Blair, played by Leighton Meester. I was first made aware of Meester's musical intentions when I saw her duet with Mr. Tony Bennett on Entourage. News has arrived that she has a forthcoming album. Below is her first leaked single, "Birthday."

Leighton Meester's Birthday Video

Finally, we have GG's precious little J, played by good girl gone mullet totin' rocker chic, Taylor Momsen. Most Gossip watchers should know that Momsen's singing career started ages ago when she sang "Where are you Christmas" in Ron Howard's live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

But since, then Taylor has slowly but surely changed from the adorable rosy cheeked "who" to that 15 year old you don't want your kids hanging out with. See for yourself...

Pretty Reckless Video

Taylor's band, Pretty Reckless, will be touring with The Veronica's. So what's next? Are Blake and Penn going to be the next Sonny and Cher? Is Chace going to get back together with country singer Carrie Underwood and start singing songs about break-up's in Texas?

One more musical note on GG is that this Monday's episode will feature a new song from an "eightified" No Doubt. So if you're a Stefani fan, be sure to check it out. And of course, I had include Rufus' fake band, Lincoln Hawk!

Lincoln Hawk Everytime Video

(and I promise, future Ya Heard's? will feature better music, this was just for fun!)

Baruch atah ay dios mio!

What's new Upper East Siders?

If you know what this post title means, then you also know that Gossip Girl is back! Is it better than ever? No, not really, but is it passable and still fun to watch... you bet your ass...SPOILER ALERT... Tonight's ep featured a once again desperate Blair making a deal with the devil, aka Nate's Grandfather. One good thing to come out of Blair's distraught state is a much needed Chuck/Nate meeting, no matter how short. If talking to N about B is what will bring B and C back together again, then bring it on. And while part of me is completely psyched to see Jenny finally becoming her own person and screwing up on a less frequent/gigantic scale... another part of me secretly longs for Jenny the f*** up. I can't say why. I won't even go into Serena's ridiculous storyline, suffice it to say her new beau looks demented, as did her last one who wasn't Dan. Girl's got to get some taste. 

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Yi-ikes

The trailer for Paper Heart is now online, courtesy of Apple Trailers.

I'm not sure what to say about it except that Michael Cera finally got the role he's been attempting to play all his life... himself. It's not quite a documentary, but it's as close as you can come to one without calling it that. Charlyne Yi, Cera's real life girlfriend goes on a road trip complete with director and camera to discover the truth about love, the one thing she doesn't understand. I'm partly interested, and partly completely turned off. I can't decide if the movie is trying too hard, or just bluntly honest.

To err on the side of caution I'll go with "trying too hard," but I'm ready to be proved wrong.

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Rain, Rain, Go Away. Summer kick Rain's Ass and Stay

On this rainy Monday morning, I spent a good deal of time trying to imagine myself of a warm, sunny island. Just then, I thought, "hmm I should make a list of all the fabulouso summer movies coming to a theater near you." Only problem was a gaggle of other sites beat me too it, and not surprisingly did a far superior job than I would have done. So here are a couple of links to the summer film rundown. More to come I'm sure. 

Rope of Silicon's Summer Movie Picture Preview

The Playlist Summer Movie Photos

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Kyoko

condition:human Episode 2 from condition:human on Vimeo.

Condition:Human wobbles in it's second ep, but I'm still intrigued. Like the first episode, I feel sucked in by the graphics and the story, but remain laughably unsure of the acting. It's clear that creator Trenton Lepp is talented (and hopefully has a long bright future ahead), but the guy needs better people onscreen. So actors if you're listening, team up with this guy, and help make him the best director he can be! However, I do have to say that I like Kasey Ryne Mazak as Takumi Kenji and Leah Tassey as Kyoko very much. I exclude them from the "bad actor" category.

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"Hey cloud, has anyone ever told you, you look like a combo between a nipple and a condom?

Fluffy clouds and a stork, perfecto! Looking forward to Pixar's Partly Cloudy short even more than the actual feature now. Seriously do you see these colors, gorgeous!

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Hulu on iPhone, is anyone surprised?

 It hasn't actually become a reality yet, but it's likely to soon, especially given Hulu's recent ads (starring the likes of Alec Baldwin and Seth MacFarlane), which state their purpose of taking over the earth. Isn't the iPhone the best place to start? Here's hoping they can bring us the best iPhone vid quality yet...

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Every Angle of Zooey Deschanel's Face

Check out the poster for 500 Days of Summer. Get lost in Zooey. I know the reviews are mixed on the poster, but I dig it. I'm just a photo collage fan I guess.

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Hoodwinked

I'm sorry, but this guy is just way to old and out of shape to play Robin Hood. Hate me if you must but I am really not looking forward to this movie... unless you can give me 5 reasons why I should. Go.

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Who else is excited to watch... 

Life After People on the History Channel? 

Doesn't it look amazing? terrifying, but amazing. Very I am Legend, of which I have yet to see the Will Smith Re-make. 

Sexy Mother Chucker

In honor of the terrible looking S. Darko trailer, here's the Basshole himself (aka Ed Westwick), doing what he does best. Nice shoot Harper's Bazaar!

                                                                                          

Check out 3 short promos here, for what looks like it will be an amazing ep on March 16

Tonight's Bangin' Big Bang Theory!

MASSIVE SPOILER AHEAD... Fans of the The Big Bang Theory have patiently been awaiting another Leonard/Penny hook up, after their teaser kiss in last season's finale. Tonight we finally got to see a glimpse of the possimpible (see How I Met Your Mother ep 4.14 for explanation ). Their awkward, but convincing chemistry (fueled by alcohol) came to fruition, sort of. The show continues to surprise me, by actually surprising me. Who thought that what would bring Leonard and Penny together again would the female Sheldon, aka, Leonard's mother (played by the awesome Christine Baranski)? Upon her arrival, she sends all members of the gang (with the exception of Sheldon) into a mental downward spiral, by psycho-analyzing them between trips up and down their apartment building. She pegs Raj and Howard as having created a faux homosexual marriage to satisfy their need for intimacy, and Penny as going into acting to try and both gain approval from and rebel against her father, who always wanted a boy. Right on mama Hofstadter! To try and escape her gnawingly truthful observations about their lives, Penny and Leonard indulge in a night of Tequila shots together, leading to a brief and hilarious near sexcapade. But as usual, Leonard's overactive brain got in the way, and he managed to say something which made Penny ditch the whole thing. Either way, the hook up proved that they do have real chemistry, something the show can count on as it moves forward. But even better than that (if possible), is Sheldon discovering his soulmate in Leonard's mother. Though it culminated only in a rousing game of rock band, it's clear that Sheldon has a crush, or as he would say, an alarmingly high compatibility rate, resulting in a mental affinity for the aforementioned individual. 

Hit that Sheldon.

and I am still mad at Gossip Girl for denying me new episodes till March... that's cold Josh Schwartz. 

Day Watch blows my mind, Johnny Depp still makes me swoon, and Gossip Girl returns... it's officially a New Year!

Apologies for still not getting up my new reviews, etc. I was away where there was no Internet, and somehow I survived (better than that in fact)! Reviews are coming, I promise! But I thought for now I'd post a few quick notes of interest.

• Richard Brody posts an interesting summary of some lesser known films, including Chinese cinema, the wonders of mumblecore queen Greta Gerwig, and David Fincher's Zodiac, which puts Benjamin Button to shame.
  

• According to the incredible (and always reliable) Michael Ausiello, Michelle Trachtenberg is all set to return to the upper east side and reprise her memorable role of Georgina on Gossip Girl. She'll be blowing into town for multiple episodes towards the end of the season, can you say cliffhanger? I cannot tell a lie and say that I think Trachtenberg is a particularly talented or interesting actress, but one thing is for sure... it's always fun to watch her wreak havoc on my favorite drama queens. And of course, the best news: GOSSIP GIRL BACK WITH NEW EPS TONIGHT!
  

• Part of my weekend away included watching a little Russian film called Day Watch (see photo above), sequel to Night Watch, better known as the craziest, most insanely imaginative film I have seen, maybe ever. I was skeptical of it at first, having only seen the dvd cover (which pretty much repelled me), however this is truly a case of "don't judge a dvd by it's cover." The movie blew me out of my seat, off the couch and onto the floor. I still can't fully explain the plot, but at it's base... It is a sequel following the character of Anton who belongs to a group called the Night Watch. This group has a chosen one, a Neo if you will, who is fated to fight the forces of the darkness. This chosen one happens to be Anton's girlfriend and apprentice. However there is another group, of dark beings (including some unique vampires who drink from juice boxes) called the Day Watch. They also have a chosen one, who happens to be Anton's son. Both groups intertwine and unravel as they chase the chalk of fate. Like I said, the movie is bonkers. The films are based on a well loved Russian book series that Timur Bekmambetov (of recent Wanted fame) directs with skill and laborious precision. Twilight Watch, the third in the series is slated as in pre-production, but has already been much delayed due to Bekmambetov's shooting of Wanted. To say I enjoyed Day Watch would be a massive understatement, but to say I understood it would be a lie. Be prepared to embark on a dizzying visual feast.

• Film.com posts a great article chronicling some of our beloved returning t.v. favorites, including Nip/Tuck, Big Love and Lost.
  

• Just like me, A.O. Scott feels a connection to Milk. Check out his review.
  

• Finally, if you get EW magazine, then you've already seen it, but if not, here's a link to their 12 big movies coming in '09, most notably Johnny Depp playing John Dillinger in the summer release, Public Enemies (also starring my standby fav Christian Bale).
  

So get ready people, it's a new year, and a clean slate. Do what you want, and don't waste time doing anything else.