Lenny's Photo Shoot

Lenny actually sat still last night long enough for me to snap a few pictures on the cell phone. As you can see, he just had a hair cut.



AREN'T I CUTE?

KELLEY'S BOYS



SAY CHEESE! (See his teeth?)

TIM GUNN

"Designers, read an article all about me, in today's New York Times!"

Happy Easter

A long, long time ago, my mom lobbied for Seatbelts on Schoolbuses! Now we have Seatbelts on Terriers! I got Lenny a little car harness that buckles in to the seatbelt so he doesn't get jostled around by Chuck's driving when we go to the dog park. Yes, I know, some of you may think that's weird. But for those of you who have pets like Lenny that go nuts at a drive-thru window, you can get the harness at Target - it's about $9.

I can just picture Lenny's TV editorial..."Some people say we'd chew on the belts, but we don't. Some people say we'd wriggle out of the belts, but we don't. Some people say we won't jump around without seatbelts - (paw up to face for emphasis) - but we do! Tell your legislator that YOU (paw points to the camera) want seatbelts on your terriers." Any of those yellow t-shirts left, Mom? :)

Lenny had a lot of fun looking for Easter eggs yesterday. We hid some around the apartment with doggie T-Bonz treats in them. He figured out how to get the plastic eggs open to get the treat out, and he thought it was a really fun game. My dad sent the annual Easter treasure hunt puzzle via email. It was a good puzzle and took me about half an hour to solve. (And just a little bit of Googling.) Thanks Dad! :)

More good news

Congratulations to our friend Pete in Columbus, OH - he just got promoted to manager at his job!!

Congratulations also to Jamie Barton, a colleague of ours here at IU. She just won the Metropolitan Opera competition in New York City. She is an amazing singer and also is one of the nicest people in the entire world.

News

Here is a website for my sister's new hospital where she will be working. I hope we get a tour when we go out to NH in May!

Congratulations to my friend Mary Ann, who is expecting her second child!

And speaking of new babies, how cute is my new niece Elise? Her christening is in two weeks, but unfortunately, we won't be able to go. The Maestro is busy.

Chuck's two concerts (CIP and his youth orchestras) both went really well. He had a really successful weekend.


My friend Jason was featured in the NH Union Leader newspaper!

Chuck was interviewed this morning for his own profile in IU's student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. The story will be published later this week, so I will be sure to post a link.

Spring is here!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY SISTER!!!! Annie was hired on the spot at her interview today. She will be working as a nurse for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Go Annie!!!! She said they only had one opening to fill, and she was it! We are so proud, happy and excited for you, Annie!!!


Spring has arrived in Bloomington - the weather has turned very nice very suddenly. We had 80 degrees for a couple of days, but it's settled into the 60s and 70s.

Chuck conducts music from "Porgy and Bess" on tomorrow night's Columbus Philharmonic concert.

Go Buckeyes!

In honor of the Buckeyes making it into the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, I am posting a very special picture that my friend Dan forwarded to me.

Proof that Jesus is a Buckeye fan:

Charles back with the BSO

Chuck has been asked to conduct a pops concert with the BSO (Bloomington Symphony Orchestra) again this summer. This concert will be June 3, and at a park about an hour south of Bloomington. Everyone is welcome!

Heidi is back!

I hope this means PR #4 will start up in July. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Walter es muy guapo

I forgot to mention that my parents just got back from a trip to Mexico with their amigos, Donald and Susan. They had a great time and even brought Walter back a little souvenir - his own Mexican sombrero.

Welcome back

We are back from Spring Break. Chuck had a very successful week at his conducting workshop in Bowling Green, Ohio. He also got to visit our family in Toledo. This is a picture of him conducting the BGSU orchestra under the guidance of Gustav Meier.

Chuck also had another celebrity moment while he was there. Someone from Japan recognized him, and told him that he had watched all of his conducting videos on Youtube!

My week didn't start off very well. About fifteen minutes before I got to leave work on Friday, I found out that I got a big fat DENIAL on my PD application here at IU. The admissions director came up to me this morning to tell me that there was very little space in the flute studios, and only about 4 people total (for 2 studios) were accepted. That made me feel a little better, but of course I am still disappointed. But I was lucky to have my trip to New Hampshire to relax and get over the bad news.

I had a great time relaxing with Mom and Dad, and we drove down to Providence, Rhode Island to have lunch with my sister Annie. She just got some great news - she will have a job interview for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Yale Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. Go Annie! Just two months until graduation! Chuck and I will be flying back in May to attend her graduation ceremony.

I was hoping to see some presidential candidate action in New Hampshire - my current favorite, Barack Obama, was in town one day for two events, but the closer one to us got snowed out. We had a big storm with about 8 inches of snow. I'm reading Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope," and so far think it's great.


We ended the week with a trip to the "TD Banknorth Garden" (Boston Garden) for some college hockey. The Hockey East finals were between UNH (Mom and Dad's favorite team) and Boston College. UNH went in to the game ranked number one, but BC beat them pretty soundly, 5-2, which was pretty disappointing. We had a great time at the game though. We were in the sixth row, so we could see all the action. It was also St. Patrick's Day, and everyone in Boston was in a very festive mood. It was a lot of fun.


Mom and I did a lot of fun shopping, including a trip to the Nike store. I am ready for running! I have started jogging again, now that it is light out longer and a little bit warmer. We even took Lenny back to the dog park yesterday (74 degrees out!) for the first time this year. He did great! He didn't end up limping, and he ran around like a fool, chasing big dogs and barking at everyone. It was really great to see him back to his old self.

Star suggestions

Thank you for the latest casting suggestions! My friend Jen had a suggestion for J.D. - Wes Bentley, the actor from American Beauty. And I think Sandra Bullock would be a good pick to play Jen - so I will give up my claim on her - Elizabeth Hurley can play me. :)

Chuck's sister Amy suggested that she could be played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Doesn't she look like her? And happy birthday to Amy's daughter, my niece Molly, and son Ben, whose birthday is coming up soon! Chuck and I got SEA MONKEYS for Ben for his birthday, but Chuck got so excited about them that he decided to keep them, and we had to go buy another kit to send to Ben! The ants in his ant farm died, so I think he needed a new project.

Indiana University had some big news this week - it selected a new president, Michael McRobbie. The reason I mention it is because he was a frequent customer back when I worked at Sew N' So's. I learned the proper way to sew on buttons on his shirts - he had all of his shirts changed to french cuffs. I also made pillow cases for him. (I got the easy projects.)

Last week, I was pretty busy playing a gig - I performed Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with the Bloomington Chamber Singers, with three of our voice faculty performing as soloists. They were amazing. I was so-so. I think they are going to play it on our local NPR station - I'll put a link on the blog if they podcast it.

On Sunday, my flute duet had its third coaching. At our second coaching two weeks before, the flute teacher kicked out our harpist for not playing in tune, so we were VERY nervous coming into this next coaching. Hyun-Jung and I played through our two-flute piece, which we had practiced A LOT. The teacher said it was great, and asked what else we had prepared. AAAAUUUGGGHHH! We had nothing else prepared because we had worked so hard on that one piece, but he coached us on it. That was a big relief to get through that. However, I still haven't heard anything about my admissions status. This is the same teacher that I want to study with, and he hasn't said anything to me, and my records haven't been updated on my online application. The last auditions happened last weekend, and the admissions committee met today. I was hoping to find out one way or the other before spring break, but I don't think I'm going to. So please keep crossing your fingers for me.

My parents went to Mexico this past week, so I am looking forward to hearing about their trip. I'm flying to New Hampshire on Saturday morning - I can't wait for vacation and to see them. Chuck leaves on Tuesday for his big masterclass at Bowling Green State University with Leonard Slatkin and Gustav Meier! He's been working really hard this week on his scores, and his been feeling a little overwhelmed. I know he will do well! Lenny is going back to his new place, Bark'n Buddies, so he will be in good hands.

And speaking of Lenny, he may have his own casting possibility soon. Today, Dreamworks announced that they were going to make a big-screen version of the adventures of Tintin. Tintin was a Belgian comic book reporter character who went on adventures around the world with his dog, Milou. I first learned about Tintin in my office. There is one piano professor who, when he sees my picture of Lenny, always tells me that he used to read the Tintin comics when he was little, and that Lenny looks just like Milou. (Milou is described on the Tintin website as "an exceptionally white wire fox terrier," and the name Milou translates to Snowy.) So if the movie is live-action, they'll have to pick a wire fox terrier to fill the role. Otherwise, the Target dog can play Lenny - he's pretty cute.

Ready for Spring Break!

Only a week and a half left!

Back from their trip

We had a very nice time with J.D., including a trip to Sushi Bar and Bombay House while he was here in Bloomington.

Of course, while he was here, we had a casting discussion for the Latshaw TV movie. I proposed Mario Lopez (most recently on Dancing with the Stars and Pet Star) to play the part of J.D., while Chuck thought Jerry O'Connell (from Crossing Jordan) would be better. I don't think J.D. was crazy about either idea. :) Any votes?


Lenny got to have a big chewy bone while the boys were away on their trip. Chuck is actually considering taking him off the vegetarian diet, because he's had some stomach problems in the past few weeks.

The Oscar round-up

Here it is - Kelley's Oscar Awards fashion report! I have a Top 10 for both best and worst dresses. Since it's hard to go wrong in a tuxedo, I have two favorite men's outfits, but no "losers." So let's start with them!

I'm always fascinated by watching all the different types of tuxedos at awards shows, trying to pick what Chuck might look good in while conducting. :) I'm his celebrity stylist.

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO

Leo could have worn jeans and a t-shirt and still managed to look elegant, but of course he went formal. I loved his tuxedo - I think it was a different kind of material than tuxedos usually are made of. It looked like it had some texture to it - not quite velvety, but something like that.

DJIMON HOUNSOU

I loved Djimon Hounsou's tuxedo. I loved the detailing around the lapel and the pocket, but most of all I loved that it was brown! It was a great new color spin on the tuxedo without looking crazy. LOVED it.

So on to the dresses.
My favorites were (in order):

1. ANIKA NONI ROSE

My absolute favorite dress was the one that Anika Noni Rose wore when the "Dreamgirls" sang during the show. She had a really fun silver dress on for the red carpet, but I thought this red one was stunning. I want that dress!

2. PENELOPE CRUZ

Penelope absolutely looked like a Best Actress winner. Because she was nominated for a big award, I think she had a little more leeway in wearing a "bigger" or more eye-catching dress, and this was a great pick. She kept her hair and jewelry very simple and let the dress make the statement. I loved the swirling pattern on the top, and the shape of the dress in general. At first, I was a little skeptical about the feathers, but in the long run I think they gave the skirt an interesting texture, and made the dress stand out more in a positive way.

3: REESE WITHERSPOON

Reese looked fabulous, as you can see. No explanation needed.

4: QUEEN LATIFAH

I am always impressed with Queen Latifah's choice of dresses. She has a fuller figure to work with, and always looks great. What I love about this dress is that it's a feminine take on the tuxedo - the stripes are like those on tuxedo pants, and it has a cummerbund.

5: JENNIFER LOPEZ

Next, I liked Jennifer Lopez's dress. At first glance, I thought she was perhaps pregnant - I caught a weird angle of the draping of the skirt. But that was not the case. While I wouldn't wear this dress, I thought she looked absolutely iconic in it. And her hair looked beautiful!

6: TIPPER GORE

I am letting a non-movie star on to my top ten list. It was Al Gore's big night, and his wife looked great. I think her gown was a deep brown, and the sleeve over one shoulder was very elegant. Not as flashy as some others, but very "first lady." (Second lady?)

7: ABIGAIL BRESLIN

How cute is Abigail Breslin? She looks like a little girl dressing up as a princess - I'm sure she must have felt like one!

8: RINKO KIKUCHI

Rinko Kikuchi redeemed herself after her pink poodle-dress fashion disaster at the Golden Globes. She looked very elegant in this beautiful black lacy dress, and her hair was beautiful.

9: JADA PINKETT SMITH

My only complaint about Jada Pinkett Smith's dress was that she looked like an Oscar herself! Maybe that was her goal. It is a really pretty color on her, but it does border on resembling C-3PO a little bit. I loved the shape of the bottom of the dress. Also, I've seen her at a lot of awards shows with really severe hairstyles - pulled back really tightly - so I liked her hair better here. Their whole family looked good!

10: CELINE DION

Well, I didn't see everything that is showing in this picture when Celine was on TV, if you know what I mean. I loved her dress, though, and I love the green color. The pin on her hip was very pretty.

The next three left me with an overall positive impression, but I'm not putting them on my favorites list.

BEYONCE KNOWLES

This dress would be perfect if the sash across her shoulder wasn't so prominent and if the slit wasn't so high. But who am I to criticize Armani?

NICOLE KIDMAN

Nicole Kidman's dress was a case where I didn't really like her dress, but she looked very striking. It had a big "WOW" factor. I don't think it would look as good on anybody else. And the bow was nowhere near as frightening as Charlize Theron's dress was last year.

HELEN MIRREN

Even though Helen Mirren looked very nice, and her dress was age-appropriate (unlike her chest-revealing Golden Globes dress), I was underwhelmed. She knew she was going to win the Best Actress award - this was her evening to shine! She should have gone with something more interesting. She could have made Oscar fashion history!

So now we'll move over to the negative end of the spectrum. This list is in order from not-so-bad to horrible.

10. ANNE HATHAWAY

(Valentino) The problem, of course, is the big black bow. It was not flattering to her figure because of how the bottom of the bow was angled on her dress. Plus, there was a big bow on her butt, too! I think she had good intentions, but it just didn't work.

9. JENNIFER HUDSON

(Oscar de la Renta) The whole hour of the red carpet coverage before the Oscars, I was praying that the gold shrug thing was not actually attached to her dress, and that she would take it off for the ceremony. And, thank goodness, she did! But again, for one of the big stars of the evening, the dress was not very exciting. Maybe a different color would have changed that. She did almost have a fashion disaster on stage while singing - there was almost a wardrobe malfunction moment because she got really into the singing, and almost popped out of her dress. Yikes!

8. MAGGIE GYLLENHALL

This dress is just trying too hard. I hated the shoulder strap that attached front and center, and I don't like the blue and black combination.

7. JODIE FOSTER

Snooze. Not only was this dress boring, but it fit really weird. It had a kind of belt, and all the fabric above the belt was kind of bunchy. And a boring color.

6. GWYNETH PALTROW

Gwyneth was wearing Zac Posen. I was actually surprised there weren't more Zac Posen dresses on the red carpet - I think only hers and Portia de Rossi. Last year I think he had a lot of dresses at the Oscars, including Felicity Huffman's, who was up for Best Actress. I really wanted to like Gwyneth's dress, but I just couldn't. I don't like the top - it looked like she put on her shirt backwards - and all of the lines draw your eye directly to her stomach. What bugged me the most is that she was really adamant about keeping all of her hair swept in front to that one side. Why? To hide the ugly dress? Did she spill something on it?

5. CAMERON DIAZ

A lot of people said "good for Cameron" for "taking a risk" - well, fine, but the risk didn't pay off. Ugly dress! And does she ever do her hair? It always looks like that.

4. EVA GREEN

I have no idea who Eva Green is. Maybe she was in a "Living Dead" movie because she really looked like a zombie!

3. KIRSTEN DUNST

I just felt bad for Kirsten Dunst in this dress. It was kind of sad. It's Chanel couture.

2. JESSICA BIEL

I just really didn't like this. It was kind of 80's, with the yucky black belt, and it wasn't a nice or interesting shape. Ew!

1. MERYL STREEP

Meryl's Prada dress (how appropriate) gets the Worst Oscar Outfit award. What was she thinking?

I think I've been watching too much "E Network" on TV because I'm starting to sound like their annoying fashion commentators. Of course, my opinions are much more valid, right? :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Oscars if you watched the entire long ceremony, and if not, I hope you enjoyed my little fashion round-up.

Weekend plans

Well, it's me and Lenny all by ourselves tonight. Chuck went up to Chicago today with his old buddy J.D., to hear two symphony concerts. They heard the Chicago Symphony this afternoon, and they are going to hear Mahler 5 performed by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra this evening. J.D. is kind of a Mahler fanatic, and Chuck really wants to conduct Mahler 5.

New niece!

I have the good news to report that our fourth niece, Elise Latshaw, was born yesterday. Yay! That brings the Latshaw/Boros munchkin count to 7.

Update

I am supposed to inform everyone that Chuck did not actually shed tears at the end of Dreamgirls; rather, he "snuffled" a little bit.