Save a horse, ride a cowboy!

Just when Miss Tea thought she knew every spot in NYC, along comes something new ... to Miss Tea, that is. Sure, you've all done it...but do you talk about it?

Miss Tea is talking about that rambunctious mechanical bull housed at Johnny Utah's Restaurant and Bar. The dark, underground arena was filled with strapping, young men and sassy, young women, all drinking to their hearts content while cheering the latest victim of The Bull and waiting for the Shot Rounds when Miss Tea was present. What a perfect place to bring family.

Miss Tea needed some liquid motivation before getting on that thing so natch, we had bottle service (Prosecco $40). After struggling with mounting The Bull, Miss Tea held on for dear life, worried that she might break a nail. Sure enough, as the The Bull moved quickly, she slid slowly (and pathetically) down the side until she just let go of the rope. She glanced at the announcer/controller with a sheepish "I tried" look, to which he pointed at her to get back on The Bull, saying "You're not done." Sadly, Miss Tea tried again, only this time to be thrown off again as the bull spinned around. Trust, Miss Tea did not look sexy in front of the gaping audience.

On the other hand, Miss Tea's cousin, Miss KB, stayed on for a good 5-6 minutes. With one hand on the rope and the other in the air, Miss KB's agility to ride the bull in a rocking motion was quite impressive. It figures, the young ones know how to do this sort of thing.

Ah youth, come back. Miss Tea misses you.

Miss Tea vs. The Bull.

Save Santa a sleigh ride - be naughty!

Miss Tea saw that little gem on her friend's Facebook page - rather clever!

As some of you know, Miss Tea took a little vaca to Buenos Aires in early December and has had to pay for it ever since returning to work. Wrapping up the end of the year in a rush makes Miss Tea very fussy.

Of course there are tons of things Miss Tea would like to talk about but with the holidays creeping up, family and friends to see...we'll just have to start up again next week.

However, Miss Tea will leave you with 2 movie reviews (in case you're bored with the fam and need an activity that doesn't require interaction...not that it happens in Miss Tea's family).

Avatar

To all the naysayer critics, shame on you. So what if it took 15 years to make this flick? It's pretty friggin' cool. Miss Tea has heard criticism that the story is weak, there are too much special effects, and yes, Miss Tea has some trouble understanding Sam Worthington's mumblings. But overall, the film is impressive as a fantasy film and delivers. Plus, Miss Tea likes the Mother Earth (or in this case Mother Pandora) theme of appreciating nature.

Premise: Jughead Jake Sully takes on a mission in Pandora in place of his super-smart but now dead twin brother to assist in the mining of a special mineral. An indigenous tribe (Miss Tea forgets what they're called...Naboo?? oh wait, that's Star Wars) sits on one of the largest mineral deposits and the Earthlings (that would be us) need to "nicely" evict them from their home. Sully becomes part of the tribe through an avatar to learn their ways in order to peacefully get them to leave. Of course, nothing's ever "peaceful" with James Cameron so conflict ensues.

At one point, Michelle Rodriguez's character says, "You're not the only one with guns, b*tch." For some reason, Miss Tea this is the one quote Miss Tea remembers from the film with fond affection and humor.

Anyhoo, go see Avatar: www.avatarmovie.com

P.S. It is preferable that you see it on IMAX, over 3D. But you have the IMAX 3D combo, even better.

Sherlock Holmes

Well, pubLiZity did it again! Last night, she and Miss Tea went to see a pre-screen of Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. brought his Ironman charisma to the title character while Jude Law played an "alternative" Dr. Watson. Don't know about you, but Miss Tea always thought Dr. Watson was a stodgy old fellow...til now. Or maybe it's because it's Jude Law. Hmm. Doesn't matter. The point is, Downey and Law have chemistry and it shows onscreen in their "bromance" relationship. Rachel McAdams also does a great job as a tough Dame Adler, bringing in some clever, feminine spunk.

Premise: It's complicated. If Miss Tea tries to describe the plot, it may deter you from watching the film. So you're just going to have to see it.

Director Guy Ritchie also did a great job in keeping the film fast-paced, providing clues and keeping the audiece in suspense. Think Old English meets Rock N Rolla. The film is SMA-ART and the story is interesting enough to keep you enthralled. The only pisser for Miss Tea is when the story leaves you as if a sequel is in the works. Sigh.

Sherlock Holmes is definitely a go-see: www.sherlock-holmes-movie.warnerbros.com

Have a Happy Holiday Season everyone! Write to y'all next week!

Movie Review: New Moon

"OMFG! I die! I die!"

That might as well have been what the girls were thinking every time they squealed over a pair of pretty pecs (and there are many) in New Moon.

So what the heck was Miss Tea doing in a movie theater with a bunch of teenage twits? Darling, please. If someone placed in front of you a chocolate ice cream sundae, swathed in hot fudge and sprinkled with walnuts, with a ripe cherry on top, wouldn't you have stopped yourself to take a look? Don't lie.

For many of the young viewers (and Miss Tea), the "hunk" factor seemed to be the memorable highlight of New Moon. But was it better than Twilight? Eh.

In fact, Miss Tea thought everything (film, story, "teen angst" acting) was on the exact same level as Twilight. Where the first film focused on Edward, New Moon focuses on the awkwardly flirtatious Jacob, thus putting Bella in quite the pickle (lucky hussy). New Moon moves at a decent pace (better than Twilight) and has impressive animation, although the werewolves look more like oversized Shiba Inu puppies than ferocious predators (what? they look soooo cute! I want one!).

Overall, Miss Tea enjoyed the flick and as she said before, it's the fluff needed to get to the good stuff...which would be Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (read the books - don't worry, it's at a 3rd grade reading level, you'll finish all four in a week).

There is one scene that will throw almost all viewers off and if you've seen the film, you know exactly which scene Miss Tea is talking about: the Hansel and Gretel scene. WTF is that? Did the producers run out of $$$? For such a dark moment in the film, why does the director think we need to cut to a frolic in the woods, skipping along as if we are off to grandmother's house? Ugh.

Another New Moon peeve of Miss Tea's is the main character Bella, annoyingly portrayed by Kristin Stewart. Not that Miss Tea expects any of these three to hit the Oscars for their acting chops, but ... is Kristin even acting? After watching a few interviews of Kristin au natural, it doesn't seem like it. Miss Tea would like to smack the stutter out of her. Hopefully Bella will be different when she turns into a vampire.


This picture sums up the visual for New Moon. It's almost like 300, but for teens.

Some people may be disappointed that Edward is hardly in this film. But if you give a fair chance, you might not mind.





Hence, the debate tearing fans apart: Team Edward or Team Jacob. What team is Miss Tea on? She'll never tell. ;o)

PS: For those of you who are clueless on the Twilight Saga, visit: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

New Moon Friday

Don't get Miss Tea all wrong. She is not a cougar twi-tarte. But of course Miss Tea will go out tonight and see New Moon, the second book of the four-book Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

The premise is basically this: Edward kindly dumps Bella for fear of putting her in danger with his vampire clan. Bella turns her attention towards the comforting Jacob of the werewolf clan. Miss Tea believes this is the fluff you have to get through in order to get to the good stuff (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn). Critics are panning this flick but that's okay because it's for the countless fans out there (Miss Tea included). And if you haven't figured out that there's going to be some hunk in the film, check out these posters!

Miss Tea has only one word: DAMN!

Boys didn't look like this when Miss Tea was in high school. Shoot.

New Moon opens Friday, November 20. Good luck getting a ticket! :o)

Tapas in Union Square

It's been awhile since Miss Tea saw her dear friend MLS and last night we finally met up! Of course, Miss Tea was in the mood for something new to dine and catch up. Big thank you to Miss Lala for suggesting Pipa Tapas y Mas, at Union Square. It's the restaurant that's part of the ABC Carpet store.

With an abundant amount of dimly lit chandeliers (and price tags hanging down in case you had an urge to splurge) spread throughout the room against the brick walls and dark wood, the restaurant is definitely 'muy romantico' and, judging from the crowd last night, definitely popular. Thank goodness Miss Lala told Miss Tea rsvp ahead of time.

The menu has a few sopas, a few ensaladas and a lot of tapas. Miss Tea and MLS both started with the Maiz Dulce (Hot) which is sweet corn and milk soup. MLS had the patatas bravas while Miss Tea nibbled on the crispy calamari with smoked paprika aioli, a little sweet but delish nonetheless. Miss Tea also had a glass of the Torrentes from Argentina.

Miss Tea definitely liked the vibe of this resto and wouldn't mind coming back just to hang out at the bar because of the Village crowd. Pipa is a welcomed addition to the list of USQ standbys: Heartland Brewery, Republic and Coffee Shop.

Incidentally, for those of you who have not heard, my beloved Pamplona hangout has closed. Wah! So Miss Tea must search for her next neighborhood hangout. Courage!

Visit www.pipa-nyc.com for reserverations, directions and menu. Ciao-ciao!

The Garden at Four Seasons NYC

Well, hello you!

That is probably what Miss Tea sounded like after a glass of the Ruinart champagne, served during the opening event of The Garden, the new restaurant and wine bar to hit the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Luckily Miss Tea was able to bring a few plus ones to enjoy the event with her! Miss Lala, Rocky and Pdizzle were all in tow and mingled with the suits and high-maintenance chicks that cruised this "swanky party" (as Pdizzle would say). We also had the pleasure of meeting other people on the Manhattan Magazine circuit, and then some. ;o)

Aside from the bottomless glasses of champagne, we nibbled on serrano ham, machego cheese, goat cheese and flatbread crackers while waiters served passed apps of prociutto-stuffed and salami-stuffed dates, breaded risotto balls, spicy shrimp skewers and pate on top of toasted bread.

On top that, each of us got $50 off dinner to boot! How you doin'!

The Garden Restaurant and Wine Bar can be found on the lobby level of the Four Season Hotel.

http://www.fourseasons.com/

Random Stuff

Look! It's the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!

Okay, so Miss Tea took this photo when it was much warmer in NYC and the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck was in hanging out in Union Square. Rocky Stillwell bought Miss Tea ice cream because she escorted him to the the discount Ricky's store that no longer exists...Lessons people: if you see anything that sounds like a good discount, or practically free, don't wait. Jump on that sh*t ASAP.

Anyhoo, Miss Tea got her vanila ice cream with peanut sprinkles (tastes just like the stuff from the straight ice cream truck but with much friendlier service) so she was satisfied with the trip to the Square. Clearly, she has the makings of a cheap date. (Shut up Rocky!)

Now, for Friday, October 16th, the movie Law-Abiding Citizen is coming out with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. This is Miss Tea's goal for Friday night - to simply watch this movie. Though Miss Tea invited Natasha 98 and DRNY, she WILL watch GB with or without 'em. Ha!

Don't worry kids, this looks better than Gamer. Swear!