Get the MP3 album "Parachutes" by Coldplay for FREE on Amazon.com. FREE on Amazon.com does not last long. So if you want this album get it NOW before it goes back to the regular price.
This movie review for "Magic Mike" was written by guest blogger Liz Parker...
Contrary to what you might believe, Magic Mike (aka "the stripper movie") is not just about stripping and dancing. It's actually more of a cautionary tale against "the life". The trailer will make you think the movie is going to be all fun and games, with a love story between Channing Tatum and the main female lead thrown into the mix, but it turns out the "main female lead" is barely in the movie, as the film focuses more on the dancers and Tatum in particular.
"Magic Mike" (Channing Tatum, The Vow) is almost thirty and has been stripping for six years. His real passion is designing custom furniture, but he needs a loan from the bank to be able to pursue that dream, and because his work is cash-only (wink, wink), Mike's credit is too poor to get a loan. He has a side job working for a roofer, and it's there that he meets Adam, aka The Kid (Alex Pettyfer, In Time), who he recruits to be a stripper. Alex is strapped for cash, so this job ends up being perfect for him, and it turns out he has a knack for stripping too. Mike meets Alex's sister, Brooke (Cody Horn, TV's Rescue Me), who doesn't really want Alex to be a stripper, and Mike likes Brooke a lot; Brooke, however, doesn't want anything to do with "the life" and also already has a boyfriend.
The stripping and dancing scenes are probably why people (okay, mostly women) are going to want to see Magic Mike, and they are undoubtedly hot. Even Matthew McConaughey (Bernie), playing the 40-some owner of the strip club who usually doesn't "take the floor," does a striptease near the end of the film, and between him, Tatum, Pettyfer, and the other dancers (who barely have any lines, actually) those parts of the movie is definitely a good time. What surprised me about this film, though, is that the rest of it is a little depressing. Mike can't design his furniture until he gets a bank loan, and even though he dresses up nicely and goes to the bank with a ton of cash, they deny him a loan because of his low credit. Adam (Pettyfer) gets into selling drugs that he gets from the emcee at the club, and a routine performance at a sorority house goes bad because of this, with him and Mike being chased out while ducking beer bottles being thrown at their heads. Mike has a casual relationship with Joanna (Olivia Munn, I Don't Know How She Does It) but later finds out - SPOILER - that she's actually engaged. These situations and more were not what I was expecting from the film, but it wasn't necessarily bad that they were included in it.
Yes, see this film, though it has my lowest "Yes" recommendation (3 stars). It was more serious than I would have thought it would be, but I still ended up enjoying it, and I didn't find it to be lagging in any scenes either despite its long-ish runtime. People will go to see it for the "beefcake" (Tatum, McConaughey, Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Kevin Nash) but will be surprised when they find a movie that portrays "the life" as being more complicated than they might have imagined. I found some of the cuts in the movie to be a little oddly-placed too; at the beginning, we see the scene from the trailer where McConaughey laughingly tells the ladies present at the club that "it's against the law to touch ... but I see a lotta lawbreakers here tonight," and then there's a quick cut to Tatum lying in bed, with almost no transition. For the most part, however, I ended up enjoying the movie, and I would still recommend it, whether you're there for the guys or dragged there by a significant other.
Magic Mike is in theaters now and is rated R with a runtime of 110 minutes. 3 stars out of 5.
Click here if trailer for "Magic Mike" is not shown
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========================================================= Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
Here's a movie deal for the 4th of July Weekend...
Amazon has lowered some of their videos on demand to only 99 cents to celebrate Independence Day Weekend. The list includes "The Switch", "Up", "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Bourne Supremacy".
Starbucks fans! It looks like Target is giving some FREE away to celebrate the 4th of July weekend. Now thru Monday, July 2nd, you can buy a Frappuccino and get one FREE at ALL Target Starbucks locations.
Get a FREE Krispy Kreme Doughnut of your choice when you join the Friends of Krispy Kreme
I just found out about a FREEBIE that everyone with a sweet tooth will love. If you signup to become of a Friend of Krispy Kreme, you will get an email with a coupon for a FREE doughnut of your choice.
After you signup, you will get the email within a few hours. The coupon will be good for 14 days.
This movie review for "Ted" was written by guest blogger Liz Parker...
I had pretty low expectations going in to Ted, and I wasn't disappointed. Parts of the film were hilarious, but other parts seemed to drag. I read a tweet that said something like "If you want to see Peter Griffin in bear form, go see Ted," which I very much agree with - the director and writer of the film is Seth MacFarlane, who voices Peter Griffin in the often raunchy TV show Family Guy, and you can definitely see his humor coming through in the movie.
John (played as an adult by Mark Wahlberg, Contraband) is a lonely boy growing up, and when his parents give him a kid-sized teddy bear for Christmas, he's overjoyed. He makes a wish one night that his teddy bear was real and could talk, and when he wakes up the next morning, lo and behold, Ted greets him with a smile. John's parents are initially freaked out by this, but soon say it's a "Christmas miracle!" and Ted quickly becomes famous as news outlets rush to interview him.
We then flip to present day, where John is working at a rental car dealership and still living with Ted. Unfortunately, John's girlfriend of four years, Lori (Mila Kunis, Friends with Benefits), also lives with them, and she's getting a little sick of Ted being around all the time. She asks him to ask Ted to move out, so Ted finds his own place and gets a job at the grocery store to pay his bills. Ted and John continue to hang out frequently, though, which doesn't make Lori happy. John must distance himself from Ted so that his relationship with Lori won't self-destruct, but he finds it hard to "break up" with Ted, who has been his friend for the past twenty-seven years.
This film was wacky and off-the-wall and it's not one you will easily forget. I really liked the beginning and the end of it, but the middle was only okay. Wahlberg and Kunis are fine in their roles, but it's Giovanni Ribisi (Contraband) who really steals the show, as a Ted fanatic who wants to kidnap him so that his weirdo son (Aedin Mincks, The Hangover: Part II) can have him as a toy to play with. There's a scene where Ted walks into their house and there are pictures and news articles about him plastered all over their wall, and Ted snarkily remarks that he has pictures of Ribisi and his son all over his wall as well, which was one of my favorite one-liners in the movie.
Maybe see this movie. It's amazing how "real" Ted seems - there's a particularly memorable scene where he and John have a physical fight, and it really does look like Mark Wahlberg is duking it out with a real-life teddy bear. Apparently they used stand-ins for Ted and then everything was done in post-production, so when you think of it that way it's amazing how the actors interacted with him. However, the film played out a little too much like Family Guy for my taste, and so although I enjoyed the movie as a whole, I can't really recommend it for anything more than a matinee, unless you are a huge fan of Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane.
Ted is in theaters today, June 29th, and is rated R with a runtime of 106 minutes. 2.5 stars out of 5.
FREE Talking Ted App for Android
from NBC Universal, Inc.
Talking Ted is a soundboard mobile application that has animated video along with your favorite lines from the movie. You can control Ted's actions and record a video of his actions to share with your friends!
WARNING: Just like the movie, the Talking Ted App is not for kids, adults only folks !!!
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========================================================= Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
Today I received an email about a contest that Chene Park is throwing that starts today where you can enter to win 2 tickets to see the New Edition 30 year Reunion Tour with New Edition and Whodini at Chene Park on Friday August 3rd.
This contest starts June 27, 2012 @ 12:00 am (EDT) and ends July 03, 2012 @ 11:59 pm (EDT)
Chene Park is a 6,000-seat amphitheater located along the banks of the Detroit river at the foot of Chene Street, just east of the General Motors world headquarters in Detroit, Michigan and just east of Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor.
50 percent off sale valid at all 33 Salvation Army locations in metro Detroit...
Summer is in full swing and now is the time to gear up for some fun in the sun by shopping The Salvation Army’s annual Fourth of July Sale, set for Wednesday, July 4 at its 33 metro Detroit thrift store locations.
Whether it’s shopping for a star spangled shirt or a new pair of shorts, The Salvation Army is the place to save on summer clothing. Along with 50 percent off on clothing, bonus sales and savings will be announced throughout the day.The Fourth of July sale is one day only.
“The Fourth of July celebration brings people together and helps strengthen the bonds of community,” said Merle Miller, administrator of The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center, “To be able to provide such great value to our customers is wonderful and on top of that all proceeds benefit the ARC rehabilitation program.”
Proceeds from all stores benefit The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center, an independently funded, 180-day residential rehabilitation program for adults.
The following stores are located in Livingston County Michigan: Brighton Thrift Store
Puppets of American Dance on view at Detroit Institute of Arts starting July 11
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) will display some of the best examples of American dance marionettes from its Paul McPharlin Puppetry Collection from July 11, 2012 to Jan. 16, 2013.
The elaborate, large-scale marionettes were designed to gracefully execute ballet, folk and modern dance movements by clever use of counter-weighted limbs and finely carved joints. The “cast of characters” that will be on view include Sonja Henie, Greta Garbo, Josephine Baker, 19th-century Cakewalkers and a dancing Skeleton.
Ada Forman
Artists and puppeteers Frank Paris, Lillian Thompson, the Lauer Sisters and others followed a tradition of marionette theater introduced to American nightclubs and cabarets in the 1940s. The performances often incorporated intricate dancing marionettes, such as Paris’ Josephine Baker and the Lauer Sisters’ Spanish Dancers that appeared in-the-round, with live orchestras for primarily adult audiences.
Hours and Admission
Museum hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for ages 6-17, and free for DIA members. For membership information call 313-833-7971.
Josephine Baker
See the Puppets of American Dance for FREE on July 13th after 4pm...
For the third year in a row, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is participating in the Concert of Colors, metro Detroit’s annual FREE diversity music festival on July 13th. And in honor of the event, museum admission to the DIA is FREE on July 13th after 4 p.m.
So stop by the DIA on July 13th to see both the Concert of Colors AND the Puppets of American Dance for FREE!!
Go to Burger King this weekend for a deal on the Original Chicken Sandwich
To celebrate the 4th of July, Burger King is having a real food deal staring this Friday on a BK® fan favorite, the Original Chicken Sandwich.
The Original Chicken Sandwich is lightly breaded, premium white meat chicken breast fillet topped with the simply delicious combination of shredded lettuce and creamy mayonnaise, all on a toasted sesame seed bun.
Starting Friday (6/29) and going through Sunday (7/1), you can buy the BK Original Chicken Sandwich for $1.04. This deal it good from June 29 at 12:00am until July 1 at 11:30pm.
The Legal Stuff:
A la carte purchase only. Not valid on specialty versions. Price and participation vary. Prices higher in AK & HI.
Ready to style your suitcase? KLM is giving away a limited number of free luggage tags, to make you stand out in the crowd. Personalize your baggage and give them a unique makeover!
But that's not all, they are also giving you 5 more tags to share with family and friends! Surprise them with that great picture you took from that special day, and share it via Facebook or Twitter. All for FREE, including shipment. Tag away!
Less than 1500 are available as of today, so HURRY!!!
FREE Subscriptions still available to Ladies’ Home Journal
Ladies’ Home Journal is offering FREE 1-year subscriptions of their magazine. As of right now they have more FREE subscriptions available than people who have signed up to win them. So if you like this magazine, here is your chance to get a full year of the magazine for FREE.
Disclosure: I am a Purex Insider Mom and I was provided with the information for this post by Purex. As a Purex Insider, I get to try out products for free before they are offered to the public. Follow FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook
With Color Catcher® you can mix whites, lights and colors without worrying about color runs. No need to separate clothes by color! Color Catcher® traps loose dyes and dirt released during the wash cycle. At the end of the wash, the dye and dirt come out on the Color Catcher® sheet, not your clothes. The Proof is on the Sheet.™
For a limited time, Target.com is giving out samples of Shout Color Catcher.
You just have to answer 5 simple questions to get the FREE sample.
Target samples go fast so hurry on over and get yours now!
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