Strollerderby : married

Calculate the Odds You'll Get Divorced

Kelly Mills — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:03:00 GMT

As the resident divorcing parent-blogger, I see a story with "divorce in it and I get all interested. Add "calculator" to that and I'm reading further, because I love a little online gadget that tells you something good. So hey, are you wondering if your marriage is forever, or if it will end in divorce? The rate of divorce is dropping in the U.S., and within different demographics the chances are better or worse that you'll end up in Splitsville. In fact, you could have much better than the quoted 50-50 odds of success.

Only one way to find out: The Marriage Calculator. Its not quite as exciting as it sounds, because it gives you the rate of divorce among your education level, duration of marriage, and marital time period. I was hoping for something where you plugged in common grievances or something and got your odds of success, but I guess that's called a marriage counselor.

Anyhow, go here and see if people with your background are breaking up like crazy, or if their marriages are rock-solid. Then pretend that it means something for your own. At least you can see if you'll have a good dating pool of similar folks to choose from in five years, should your relatonship go under. Ahem.

You Both Look So Lovely In Your Divorce Pictures

Does Shared Custody Mess Kids Up?

Best of FameCrawler: 9-19-08

Whit Honea — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Pam Anderson Marries Fat Old Guy (Photos)

CNN Newsmaker Found Dead With Child At Side

Sarah Palin's Daughter Caught Doing Drugs On Tape

Amy Poehler Crying About Everything These Days

Ryan and Redmond O'Neal Arrested for Meth Possession (Photos)

Megan Fox in a Bikini!

Josh Howard Hates America? The National Anthem Video

Sarah Palin's Tanning Bed

Mary Louise Parker Naked on Weeds: Photo!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Splitting Up?

All I Want For Christmas Is A Sarah Palin Action Figure

Keira Knightley's Odd Reason For Wanting To Be Pregnant

What If You Were Literally Attached to Your Spouse?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:00:00 GMT

You may remember the New York Times story about the celibate Buddhist couple who never strays more than 15 feet apart and, mentally, tries to be as closely connected as possible--every second of the day. Well, a working couple with kids wondered if they could make it through even one day of being in such close contact with each other, and a Slate videographer caught the experiment on camera.

The couple followed the 15-foot rule all right, but they certainly didn't achieve perfect mental harmony. He got a bit sick of catering to her bladder the "size of a small plum," and she was appalled to learn that her husband has an 8:15 a.m. soda habit. In fact, as the husband said, there were times when they wanted to be "as far from the other's consciousness as possible"--which, I think, is pretty darn healthy for a modern couple who is not striving for enlightenment, just a happy marriage.

Photo: New York Times

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Let's get one thing out of the way right now – you shouldn't bring your children. They might want to go, but unless they have a very high tolerance for a long movie (2 and half hours) and an abnormally high tolerance for what might be the most frightening performance ever (Heath Ledger's Joker), I'd get a sitter.

Now: this is some incredible movie. At first, I was a little bit apprehensive. Part of that feeling was the hype, which was so intense that it seemed impossible anything could live up to it. (Part of it was also that the movie didn't start until almost 1am because we had to sit through 7 commercials, none of which I remember at all – money well spent, advertisers. But I digress.) There are some slow spots, especially in the beginning, and I think the director, Christopher Nolan, could have cut 10 or 15 minutes of film and made it a tighter movie. But that's nitpicking, because there are several scenes, some just quick moments and some long, exciting action sequences, that will put your jaw on the floor.

The saddest thing about Heath Ledger's death is that his daughter will never know her father. But it's fair to say that if an actor had to go out with one performance, this is that performance. He's so good that I completely forgot I was watching an actor, which, for me, almost never happens. (It's worth pointing out that Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, do the same thing in smaller and less flashy roles.) He's frightening, but not the way a horror movie villain is frightening. It's not shock value, although there is some of that (there's a bit with a pencil that might be the best 5-second description of a character in the history of cinema.) Without giving anything away, The Joker is referred to as a "terrorist" a couple of times, but unlike the terrorists in our world, this one has no cause that he fights for. He's just… mad. Not angry-mad, just flat out crazy. And Ledger captures that in every possible way. You could teach an acting class using this movie – what he does physically, vocally, emotionally; it's all stunning to watch.

The rest of it is, for the most part, equally good. I don't care about the love story, but it's fine I suppose and does serve the story. Aaron Eckhart is a solid actor and he does a good job as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. Christian Bale is by far the best Batman yet, although Ledger is so good that he really takes over the movie. Michael Caine is a good Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine as token love interest Rachel Dawes; she's more than that, I guess, but it's not her movie. Gary Oldman is amazing; as in "Batman Begins," he somehow manages to completely capture the essence of a fictional comic book character that isn't a superhero, meaning that, as an actor, he has fewer details available to work with. I can't explain it but he IS Jim Gordon.

The nits to pick if you want to go there: some of the dialog is hokey (although the lines written for Ledger are brilliant.) There are a few slow spots. At times the action sequences are a tad frenetic, here and there. But it really doesn't matter. You'll read a lot about the surprising depth of this movie, and this is true to an extent. "The Dark Knight" is incredibly entertaining and does have some thoughtful moments amid the comic-book chaos, but there's no need to over think them. I would say just relax and enjoy it, but it's not a relaxing experience. Ledger's Joker is uncomfortable to watch, but in a good way. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to see it for yourself (but, as I said, get your tickets early; even the 12:30am showing was completely sold out.)

Now, despite the fact that there isn't much in the way of blood, this is not a film that you should take your children to see. Obviously, you know your offspring better than I, so if you think they can handle it, that's your call. And of course older kids will be fine. I hesitate to suggest an age-range, but I recommend seeing it yourself first if you're not sure. Worst-case scenario – you get to see it twice. Believe me, that's not a bad thing.

image: Reuters

Batman: get your tickets now

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Maggie Gyllenhaal on Letterman- He Wishes

Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

Batman: get your tickets now

Brett Singer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT

So, being a guy who sees superhero movies, I wanted to see the new Batman movie. Today.

A friend wanted to come with me, so I couldn't pull my usual "go during the day when it's not busy" thing. So OK, let's see when its playing… What? Sold out? You gotta be kidding me.

Well, I'm not. If you're planning on seeing The Dark Knight this weekend, you'd better get your tickets in advance. This is unbelievably annoying. I tried at 2pm to get tickets to a 10:30pm showing, and it was already sold out. The reviews so far are over the top in their praise. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates reviews from various sources, the rating is a whopping 94% positive (the only film with a higher rating is Wall-E.). If you go to the "top critics" section (print outlets and sites like salon.com), only a couple of the reviews are negative, which is extremely unusual for a comic book flick.

A lot of the interest in this film is because of Heath Ledger's death, but I've never seen anything like this. A movie that you can't get tickets to unless you go at midnight, which is what I'm doing? Come on. (And yes, I know I'm nuts.)

I'll let you know what I think of the film, and whether or not it's appropriate for children, later tonight. But for now, if you plan on going, order those tickets early, Bat-fans. Otherwise, you ain't getting in.

See you tonight -- different Bat-time, same Bat-channel...

image: Rotten Tomatoes

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 2nd

Whit Honea — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair Photos: Annie Leibovitz Speaks

Oprah Reveals Scoop On Tom Cruise Interview

Jessica Alba- A Bra Would Only Slow Her Down

Lourdes Looks Like A Young Angelina Jolie?

Claudia Shiffer and Daughter Clementine

Melissa Joan Hart Has Her Pre-Baby Body Back

Kate Hudson Tops People's Most Beautiful People List

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Married...and Expecting?

Courteney Cox Getting Baby Help from Friend

More Halle Berry Post Baby Body Pics!

Best of FameCrawler: Week of April 25th

Whit Honea — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Kat Moss Stands Up to Pee

Brad & Angelina's Quiet Wedding

Halle Berry Is No Couch Potato

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Are Like A Dog and His Owner

Jonas Bros Defend Miley's Bra-Baring Skank Pics, But Still No Word From Daddy

And The Most Embarassing Parent Award Goes To...

Lourdes Looks Like Mama Madonna

Bridget Moynihan Has Style Advice And So Do I

Mark Wahlberg Adding on to the Funky Bunch

Miley Cyrus' New Boyfriend Revealed!

Strollerderby : married

Calculate the Odds You'll Get Divorced

Best of FameCrawler: 9-19-08

What If You Were Literally Attached to Your Spouse?

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

Batman: get your tickets now

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Maggie Gyllenhaal on Letterman- He Wishes

Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

Batman: get your tickets now

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Maggie Gyllenhaal on Letterman- He Wishes

Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 2nd

Best of FameCrawler: Week of April 25th