The Mother Revealed on How I Met Your Mother

On last night's season finale of How I Met Your Mother, the titular mother is finally revealed in the train station buying a ticket for Farhampton and carrying a yellow umbrella.  I love the song introducing her - the Shins' "Simple Song."  The actress playing the Mother is Cristin Milioti.  She was the star of the Broadway show Once, based on the movie of the same name, and was nominated for a Tony.  Here is a clip of her singing Falling Slowly with co-star Steve Kazee.  She also guest-starred on the Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, and 30 Rock.  She will be seen soon as Leonardo DiCaprio's wife on The Wolf of Wall Street. 

I think she's perfect for the role.  She looks exactly like the kind of girl that Ted would fall for - cute, quirky, and has the indie-hipster look.  She and Josh Radnor also look like they could be the parents of Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henrie, and I can see Cristin fitting in nicely with the gang.  I appreciate that the producers didn't go for stunt casting - I think that would have been too distracting and too hard to keep a secret.  It's nice in this day and age that they can still keep something back until they want to reveal it.  

I can't wait for the ninth and final season of the show. 

Game of Thrones' Bronn as a Pop Singer

On Game of Thrones, Jerome Flynn plays the badass sellsword Bronn.  He is a mercenary hired by Tyrion who was knighted after the Battle of Blackwater, naming himself Ser Bronn of Blackwater.

It turns out that Jerome Flynn has a not-so-badass past as one half of Robson & Jerome, a British boy band in the 1990s.  Check out the picture and the story here. 

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw is a bright spot in an otherwise terrible start to the Dodgers season.  This Grantland article spotlighted the pitch that got him noticed during spring training, complete with a Vin Scully call.  My favorite part is the Kershaw Bet: "The first person to go over to Kershaw and ask him their hand-picked goofy question during one of those between-innings scenes would win the entire pot."

The 2013 Met Gala

As usual, the red carpet at the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts did not disappoint its reputation as fashion's Oscars.  There are some wild and interesting looks on display.

My top five favorites:

1) Anne Hathaway went to her favorite, Valentino, for this creation, and she looked incredible.  I also love the punked-up blonde hairdo. 

2) Beyonce did not disappoint with her Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci outfit.  I like the matching printed boots. 

3) Emma Watson looked amazing in her Prabal Gurung dress.  The overall effect is sexy, but understated.

4) Blake Lively wore a gorgeous Gucci dress with fantastic earrings.  This is how you bring drama without going overboard.

5) Only Sarah Jessica Parker can pull off this Giles Deacon dress and the custom Philip Treacy hat.


My bottom five:

1) Katy Perry donned Dolce and Gabbana, and I actually think the dress itself might have been OK, but the crown and the earrings caused the outfit to go overboard. 

2) Allison Williams's Joseph Altuzarra dress is wrong from top to bottom - the mix of different textures and shapes ended up being too busy.

3) Kim Kardashian wore a flowered bedspread custom-made by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci.  I get cross-eyed just looking at that dress for more than a second.

4) Christina Ricci wore a McAndrew Tartan corset gown from the Vivienne Westwood Couture collection.  I think the dress would work better if it just sticks to one length.

5) Madonna in Givenchy - just no.

Plants vs. Zombies 2

I got addicted to the original Plants vs. Zombies thanks to Mr. Y, and I was very excited when it was revealed that the sequel will be released in July 2013.  There is something very soothing about shooting peas and using other vegetations as weapons to defeat zombies.
Check out the trailer here.

Historical Figures As They Would Look Today

The British TV Channel Yesterday commissioned digital artists to create portraits of what historical figures would look like today.  The figures include William Shakespeare and Henry VIII.  The results are pretty interesting.

The TV channel did this project to promote their new series "the Secret Life Of... which delves deep into the lives of historical figures and dishes the dirt on their hitherto unexplored secret lives."

Team Umizoomi and Gordon Ramsay

My son has recently started watching Team Umizoomi on Nick Jr., and loves the show.  It's all about math, and the main characters are Milli, Geo, and Bot. 

In this cute clip, Team Umizoomi visits the famously angry chef Gordon Ramsay and helps him in his kitchen.  Who knew Ramsay has a soft side?