‘Twas the night before Christmas, and I had just realized how many movie trailers I’ve missed over the past month. To my surprise, more than 40 trailers had been released since December began! Since I’m such a movie trailer fan, and with the Golden Globes and Oscars coming soon, I’ve decided to announce the winners of my very own Movie Trailer Awards for this month:

THE STARS …

Best choice for an actor: Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka! Willy Wonka!)

Worst choice for an actor: Ice Cube in XXX – State of the Union (I think Vin Diesel turned down the job)

Best choice for an actress: Nicole Kidman in Bewitched (beware the spell of the blond…)

Worst choice for an actress: Alicia Silverstone in Beauty Shop (wtf? is she supposed to be a sista?)

Best choice for a couple: Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers (Owen just can’t be alone)

Worst choice for a couple: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (oh god)

Best Hair: The Rock in Be Cool (if you touch the fro, you’ve got to go)

Worst Hair: Colin Farrell in The New World (I would’ve chosen “Alexander” if it were a choice)

… AND THE SHOW

Most stylish trailer: Sin City (the visuals for this is probably the most interesting I’ve seen this year)

Most geekish trailer: Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (if you don’t know why, you’re not geeky enough)

Most anticipated film likely to crumble: War of the Worlds (Tom Cruise?! Why? Why???)

Most anticipated film likely to deliver: Batman Begins (Christian Bale & Chris Nolan will not fail me)

Most unoriginal plot: Guess Who (like “Meet the Parents” ‘cept the in-laws are black… even more cliche!)

Most ridiculous plot: Sahara (it’s about a treasure boat hidden in the desert – yes, a boat in the desert.)

Most memorable quote: “Once there was a family of…elves. The elf team decided on an L-ambush and lay down a layer of heavy suppressive fire on the gnomes” – Vin Diesel in The Pacifier

We went to Downtown Crossing yesterday to do some very last minute Christmas shopping at Macy’s and Filene’s, when we came across a fancy-looking device at the Shiseido counter with the semblance of a short endoscope but used to examine one’s skin. Before I knew what was going on, I found myself being interrogated by the saleswoman as she probed me with the device and asked what kind of products I used on my skin. I proudly replied, “Oil of Olay“, thinking how only a year ago, I would’ve answered “water”. With a look of disgust as if I had just told her that I smother dog feces on my face, she repeated my answer, “Oil of Olay?!”. Before long, I was learning all about the nuances of skin care, how I’m supposed to use night cream at night and sunscreen in the day, and the subtle differences between softeners and moisturizers, but not before surrendering our credit cards for a couple of holiday gift sets for our loved ones. The week has otherwise been the same old thing, with the exception of a couple of college friends visiting, one for residency interviews, and the other for an interview at Novartis. We also got to finally use the Restaurant.com gift certificate I bought a while back for a taste of some heavenly foie gras, lobster risotto, and halibut at the 33 Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday night.

The winter is getting colder, but my apartment is getting warmer. If you looked carefully at my photo, you’ll notice my digital thermometer reading a whopping 82 degrees in my room! One of the worst things about living on the top floor of an apartment building is getting all the heat from the units below, even with the thermostat set to the bottom. That, of course, did not stop us from having our very own hot pot holiday dinner this past weekend. With the broth boiling and each armed with our individual sauce mix, my friends and I took down roughly 5 pounds of meat between the seven of us. Meanwhile, my buying spree continues with the arrival of my new laptop. This sexy piece of hardware is a Toshiba Portege R100, probably the slimmest and lightest 12″ notebook on the market now, sporting an Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Centrino processor that is both cooler (in every sense of the word) and less power-hungry. With my holiday shopping still pending though, I have a bad feeling that my next credit card bill will be arriving in a slightly fatter envelope.

Having lived like vampires for the past weeks with Melody on OB nights, we finally found the energy to brave the daylight this past Sunday and head out to Target. We walked in planning only to get some plastic bins for her apartment, but came out carrying a 4.5ft Christmas tree! Granted it’s not a live tree, but nothing beats the convenience of having mini lights already sewn into the tree itself! I know it’s pathetic, but this is already a huge step up from never having ANY holiday decoration (so there!). We also nabbed a small selection of Parker Brothers’ “Nostalgia” edition board games including Monopoly and Clue. They reportedly feature the original boards from the 50’s and 60’s… cause, you know, we sure missed those good ol’ days! (cue theme song from ‘Happy Days’)