I've been catching up with a few newer movies this week & one of the biggest surprises was discovering just how staggeringly great Kerry Condon is as a ferocious villain in the otherwise average IN THE LAND OF SAINTS & SINNERS. She makes it well worth watching.

One of the most read pieces I've ever written is this long essay about Brian De Palma's SCARFACE. Sharing it again for Pacino's bday (& I'm starting to think I could write an entire book length study of Pacino's Dudes).

It's National Telephone Day & 1 of my most prized possessions is this phone my grandfather George Johans gave me from his days working for Northwestern Bell. He collected phones from his time there & my cousins & I made silly pretend calls with all of them.

Happy Birthday, Al Pacino! ♥️

Allison & Tiffany Anders are bringing back Don't Knock the Rock to the LF3 this May & you'll hear all about it soon on an upcoming ep of WatchWithJen with K8 Hagen.

Safely back in the 100°F heat of Phoenix after a very strange flight (so many stories, lol). My 4th trip to LA was a 4-day whirlwind of dear friends & fabulous food & it reminded me just how fortunate I am to have such amazingly generous ppl in my lives. Thank you to all of them!

In '22, Jordan Harper 🏴 gave me the ultimate LA cheat code in advising me to bypass LAX & use Burbank Hollywood/Bob Hope Airport instead. It's smaller, faster, friendlier, & I've never looked back! Obviously, he gave Amelia Earhart the same advice bc she's here too.

Met up with the wise & articulate Courtney Howard for the delightful combination of delicious chicken kabobs & warm & funny conversation. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't make great friends after 40; Courtney is a class act!

Yesterday, priscilla page & I trekked over to Culver City's indie romance bookshop The Ripped Bodice. It's bursting at the seams with books, cute knickknacks, stickers like 'Smart Girls Read Dirty Books,' flavored teas named after tropes like 'there's only 1 bed,' & Legos galore.

Such a wonderful brunch with the brilliant K8 Hagen! We have some really cool ideas for future WatchWithJen eps.

I'm at Castaway Burbank to meet up for brunch w/ my great pal & sometime WatchWithJen co-host K8 Hagen. Fell in love w/ the mountain views & stunning landscaping when I came out to LA in '22. It's a knockout; my u*er drivers always say they want to bring dates here! 🩵

Critical update: yesterday, priscilla page & I happened to see roller skate dancing red mohawk man again heading to Starbucks in Burbank. We also saw a man dressed as either a pharaoh or a LOTR character. Welcome to LA!