HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Please allow me some space and time to issue a heart-felt "Thank You" to all who visit Slym Pickings. Ah heck, one thank you just doesn't seem enough (it must be this Xmas bug or something that goes around this time of year) so "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You".


Thank you for browsing. Thank you for just passing through. Thank you for staying a while sometimes. Thank you for not just coming once but for returning. Thank you for taking time to look around. Thanks most of all for your comments and moreover your e-mails.


And when I say thanks for your comments, I mean every single one of them whether pro or con; they are sincerely appreciated. I appreciate you all.


It would be very remiss and truly ungrateful of me if I did not take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you the happiest of holidays: HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL! If you celebrate at this time, I wish you the happiest and most enjoyable season. If you don't, I wish you a very stress-free time as others celebrate.


And when the New Year rolls around, may each and every one of your dreams come true. May you have the conviction and motivation to stick to those New Year's resolutions. May the new year be a much better one than this one has been. May it be kinder to you and yours. May it bring you the things that you need. May you be more comforted.


Throughout it all, let us not forget to be the very best that we kind be. May be all be kinder to each other. We don't need a New Year or Holiday Season to do this. It is the only way to make this world a better place. It is a sure way for each individual to make a significant difference in this messed up world that we live it.


I wish you love, I wish you joy, I wish you peace and I wish you success.


Slym Pickings will take a break during this season and return in the New Year (don't cry, it's ok, it will be back before you know it).


HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR WHEN IT ROLLS AROUND - Slym

The Proverbial Sweater & Jammies

I was kinda undecided on what /who my blog should be about today so I spent a little time mulling it over. And low and behold it came to me! These are the times when the days and especially nights are colder. So what better way to bring some comfort to one and all who are affected than by presenting via this blog women looking are cozy and cuddly wearing the proverbial sweater and/or jammies (PJs).

Consider this a pre-Christmas treat for today I bring you not just one gorgeous woman wearing comfy bedtimish attire but several of these beauties. Yes! It must be Christmas time! Hooray for the holidays! Yes, I know, I feel you too; even I am excited about this.


These lovely kittens make knitted garments the hottest thing since sliced bread was invented. Looking at them all wrapped up in these knits will make you so hot it will feel like the sun is shining directly on your skin.

If your thermostat is broken, hey just forget the damn thing, you won't need it; not with these hotties all up on your computer screen in your living room, den, office or wherever. Do you trust me? Have I ever steered you wrong? Has my judgment calls not been good? And for the umpteenth time - don't I know sexy when I see it? If the answer to all the above isn't yes, then I will hunt you down it just proves that you can't please all the people all the time.

Now on with the show. You have already been introduced to Teri Hatcher. She recently celebrated her 44th birthday a couple weeks ago (Dec. 8). She's hot, she's sexy and Desperate Housewives would not be the same without.


Charlize Theron - This 33 year old South African dreamboat can cause a sand-storm on the stillest day in the Sahara Desert. All she has to do is just stand anywhere near it (she doesn't even have to be in it) and lift her dress or skirt halfway above her knees and voilà! Instant sandstorm!!




Catherine Zeta-Jones - ooh la la is all I can say. Is there more to be said of this British siren? Her sultry sexiness makes me break out in sweats. Hell, I'll walk the plank for that woman. I'd jump through hoops lined with fire even. Did the temperature just go up a few notches? Why am I so warm all of a sudden?


Emmanuelle Vaugier - Aw shucks. How cute is this little foxy thing? Cute+hot is quite a rare combination but this 32 year old Canadian head-turner does it effortlessly. Vaugier is finer than any perfectly aged bottle of wine. Mmm mmm mmm. Let me take you out to dinner then I'm sure we can figure out something for dessert afterwards. You don't need to be slaving over no hot stove. In fact, let me cook for you.




Rebecca Romijn - Hot Damn! What a woman! Rebecca. Rebecca. Rebecca. Even when Romijn has the power of invincibility (X-Men Trilogy) you still can't help but notice her! The curves, the legs, the lips... Rebecca just one favor please - do the Naomi Campbell walk across the room; just strut that stuff all over the place. My nights already feel warmer and it's not even night yet.


Nicole Kidman - She's 41, she's married, she's a mom, she's Australian and she's too darn thin most of the times but dammit the woman is gorgeous. She can get into my bed on any cold night (or day) or we can just forget the cold altogether. She definitely can fill the dim chill room with a radiant warm glow.


Michelle Rodriguez - Though born in Texas, her mom is a native of the Dominican Republic and her dad is a native of Puerto Rico. Can this woman light my fire? Bet your bottom dollar. Can she light yours? I'll bet my bottom dollar on it! She brings the heat and I'd definitely get Lost with her somewhere; anywhere for that matter. Lost in her arms, lost in love, lost in Brazil, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Bora Bora...


Maggie Grace - I definitely feel all fuzzy and cuddly. In fact, is there room for me under that sweater? I'm sure the material will stretch a little. I don't need that much room; just enough. If I'm gonna get Lost, I might as well through in Maggie. Why not? Three isn't always a crowd you know.


Téa Leoni - This is a woman who I've crushed on since the moment I laid eyes on her. I'd lay down my coat so she could step over a puddle. She was hot when I first laid eyes on her and today at age 42 the woman is sizzling! The can be no cold not even the slightest little chill if Leoni is in my room. Just look at the woman, she's my beauty queen. Come to my room and tell me your dreams so that they can be mine too; let me be there, to help them come true. That's all I'll Ever Ask.


Kelly Ripa - Heck this sweater, knit, PJ thingy is so awesome even Kelly Ripa wants in. Can you blame her? I think not. I couldn't resist Kelly. Just look at her, isn't she cute in the blue thingy? Doesn't it warm you up just a bit? Kelly that sweater works for me. It looks real good on you.


Mila Kunis - Ah *sweet sighs*, where do I begin? She brings a warm smile to my face; yes she does. I'm a sucker for Family Guy (does the voice of Meg Griffin) so it doesn't take much. The fact that the woman is lovely eye-candy basically makes me a push-over. This 25 year old Ukrainian cutie will definitely warm the sheets.


Tiffani-Amber Thiessen - If ever I need to be Saved by the Bell or to hook up in Beverly Hills (90210), then there's no doubt Thiessen will be the one I call upon. She wooed me back in the days and I'd certainly curl up in front of the fireplace with her. And if I'm still a little chilly, all I'll need to do is looking into those sexy eyes of hers.


Vanessa Hudgens - Come to my window or just knock three times on the ceiling if you want me. We could just sit around and drink hot chocolate or warm apple cider or something. I know for sure she would definitely take the edge off.


Bethany Joy Galeotti (formerly Lenz) - She can use her voice to set the tone (nice quiet warm) then use her acting skills to help our team win at charades. Yes we'll invite friends over, perform sing-a-longs, play charades, have something to eat then get rid of the friends *smiles*. How does that sound to you?


Julia Roberts - If that big smile of yours doesn't do it, then I'm absolutely sure that we will not be short of ways to heat things up. Why there's wrestling, play-fighting, chasing each other around the room, tickling or even sexercising. And if all that doesn't work or for some reason you don't want to do those things, there's no heat like body heat (you get mine and I get yours) *wink*.


Elizabeth Hurley - My girl Liz; my British Bombshell Liz, my Hottie Liz *contented sighs*. Hot Liz in a plain white sweater; not even that can cool her hotness. A mere sweater? Pppfff - not possible. Elizabeth Hurley is hot no matter what!


Piper Perabo - On any given cold night, yes my love, I Imagine Me & You. I imagine you curled up against me. I imagine me holding you close. I imagine you using your nose to sniff my neck. I imagine me liking it very much. I imagine me and you doing things beyond our imagination. And that's all I'm saying. And you know what Lena Headey can come too.


Salma Hayek - Heck, I did say there was PJs involved right? Well here it is. And let me just state this for the record - if Salma Hayek were with me on any cold night (or day) in my bedroom, this is exactly what I'd be doing just before or maybe after doing some much more pleasurable things.

The Thing About Kate (Winslet)

Let me just throw this out before we dive into anything else. I'm not a fan of Kate or her work. I don't find excitingly sexy. I don't find her to be drop-dead gorgeous. She won't cause my tongue to hang out of my mouth. Of her movies that I've seen, I don't find them a great work of art. There, I've said; it's out there; let the stoning begin if you must.




But, having said all those things let me go on to say this. You see, despite all of the above, there is just something about Kate Winslet that attracts my attention. What is that something? Let me see if I can explain it.






The thing about Kate Winslet is that she is absolutely refreshing; she really is. There could be no other day that I blog about her than on a Monday. After the weekend is done and you're not really looking forward to another work day; to the start of the work week; yes that is the time to call on Kate.






Kate is sure to make your Monday much more bearable. She's got this calming effect on me and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one. She's like a breath of fresh air blowing through the room on a peaceful and quiet afternoon.








Although I don't find her to be drop-dead gorgeous, there is no denying that she is a gorgeous woman. She is certainly pleasing to the eyes. I would describe her as delicious and sumptuous; she's like your favorite scoop of ice cream. You want to take your time and enjoy every spoonful and you don't want it to end. You just want to savor her presence and beauty.






Kate is another of those women who never obsess about having to be this thin in order to please everyone in movie land. In fact, she has been very outspoken about the weight issue having being overweight as a child. And although I am not a fan of her movies, it does not mean that this British beauty is not a truly brilliant and super talented actress. This is beyond question especially since she has broken as well as set a number of records throughout her career thus far.






Me not being a fan of her or any other actress's movies does not automatically equal lack of talent or bad movies. The only thing it equals is that I am just not a fan of the movie(s) plain and simple; that's all there is to it. I'm just not a movie person. Give me music or I'll be very unhappy.




Since beginning her career in 1991, if there is one thing that can be said of Winslet, it is that she has made it a point to play extremely diverse roles. These roles include that of a prisoner/murderer (Heavenly Creatures), being penniless and heartbroken (Sense and Sensibility), a damsel in distress/almost drowning (Titanic) and being clueless after having her memory erased (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Her films span the scope of family, drama, fantasy, science fiction, romance, crime, thriller, comedy, adventure and animation. She has won 25 awards and has had 49 nominations so far in her career.






But you don't have to take my word for it regarding Kate's accomplishments. Throughout her career she has been breaking but more impressively setting records. The following is taken directly from wikipedia:






Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born 5 October 1975) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated, seven-time Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy Award-nominated, BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English actress.






She is noted for having played a wide range of diverse characters over her career, but is probably best-known for her critically acclaimed performances as Juliet Hulme in Heavenly Creatures (1994), Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (1995), Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997), Iris Murdoch in Iris (2001), Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Sarah Pierce in Little Children (2006).






At the age of 22, she broke the record for the youngest person to receive two Oscar nominations, and each of her subsequent nominations has broken a further record: the youngest person to receive three, four, and five nominations. She is a serious contender for two Oscars this year, leading for Revolutionary Road and supporting for The Reader, a wartime Holocaust drama based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink (Both of which she has received a Golden Globe nomination for). If she receives two 2009 nominations, she will set another record: the youngest person to receive seven Oscar nominations.






Kate is well known for turning down major films for more low-budget independent films. She's also famous for playing roles of merit; roles that require her to push her limits; roles that portray women who are gutsy and ballsy.






Another thing that I like about Winslet is that she is sophisticated in a non-pretentious way. It's almost as if she's unaware of how cultivated and cultured she is. She is so smooth and blasé yet down-to-earth.






Add all of the above with the fact that this woman is self-confident, self-assured, smart, ultra sexy and intelligent and you've got the total package. I will close with some personal quotes to further solidify some of the reasons why I admire Winslet.






After Titanic it would have been completely foolish for me to go and try and top that. I'm an English girl, I've always loved England, I've never felt the desire to leave it for any particular reason. And whilst I'm ambitious and care very much about what I do, I'm not competitive. I also don't want to act every day of my life. ... So it was important to me after Titanic to just remind myself of why it was that I was acting in the first place, which is of course because I love it.






People say to me, 'You seem to have made this conscious decision to do independent films'. In reality, I haven't. After each movie, I always think, how different can I possibly be?... Is this going to challenge me, is this going to inspire me, and is this going to make me love my job more than I already do?




I was a wayward child, very passionate and very determined. If I made up my mind to do something, there was no stopping me.




It seems daft that I'm famous and I've not really got to grips with that.




If you're not still learning and growing as an actor, then you have no backbone and no career.




My skin still crawls if you call me a movie star. I get embarrassed. I think, don't be ridiculous. Maybe it's because I'm British. To me, Julia Roberts that's a movie star. But when people do call me one, that, I think, is an enormous compliment but my God, is that a responsibility!


(All I have to add to this, and I'm sure I speak for a whole lot of others, “We like it too Kate; we really really do!”)