the veronicas - hook me up - sometimes i just need a good pop/rock album and the veronicas provide just that. good for the following situations: singing loudly alone, singing loudly in groups, trying on clothes and posing (alone or in groups), and running. my favorites are “hook me up” and “this is how it feels.” here’s a video to “untouched.”

also - one of the main reasons i wanted to post this is that they have these cute videos on their website. here’s how to make tacos on tour.

notes on a life by eleanor coppola - loved this book. married to francis ford coppola and i’m ashamed to say i had no idea who she was. she is a fascinating lady who juggles being an artist herself (visual and film), raising a family, and being married to one of the most famous directors in the world - a balancing act a lot of women have to deal with in one way or another. also - reading about her travels and behind-the-scenes on set is great for people both in and out of the film industry.

seraph cosmetics - i mentioned seraph last week in an interview for beautyinterviews.com and wanted to give them an official shout-out. seraph makes my favorite lip gloss ever. they also use natural ingredients, have refillable containers (so less waste!) and are a local los angeles company. the girl who runs it is super nice too.

wormwood: gentleman corpse by ben templesmith - just read this and loved it. you might better know him from 30 days of night but he both wrote and did the art for wormwood. it’s truly a work of art. (plus, he’ll be at the same convention in london that i’ll be at in a few weeks.)

here’s a video for the comic that i found. i can only imagine he actually made it.

soko - soko not sokute i love this album. it’s simplistic and adorable. soko is an amazing french singer who is in her early twenties. and i think this song is incredibly cute and a little scary at the same time. hard to pull off. and the simple one-take video is amazing.

when you are engulfed in flames by david sedaris - i’m a huge sedaris fan and while i don’t think this is the book you should start with when entering the sedaris world (that would be me talk pretty one day in my humble opinion), it’s still very good for all the die-hard fans of his work. he’s infinitely funny and clever in the oddest ways possible. here’s a link to npr’s page of sedaris reading some excerpts from books or short stories. the santaland diaries is one of my all-time favorites.

channel zero by brian wood - published back in 2000 but i only recently read it. a comic set in a world where there is no freedom of speech, it follows Jennie 2.5, a freedom fighter. i really loved the art and the message.

i’m a cyborg but that’s ok - a park chan-wook film (probably best known for old boy), this south korean film manages to be both cute and weird at the same time.chuck kim, one of the writers for heroes, suggested it to me and i just got around to watching it this week. (thanks chuck!) one of the only movies i’ve seen that combines a love story, a mental institution, dentures as a central plot point, and robots.

so, i thought i’d make another themed brea list this week as it is the first week heroes airs. so on the brea list this week is a few of my personal heroes. (p.s. this is a lot harder than i imagined and these are just a few that i feel like i haven’t written about yet.)

and if you’re just tuning in because you saw me on tv, welcome to my blog. yes, this is brea writing a blog. no ghost writers or any of that crap. aside for other random posts, i do a weekly brea list of stuff i like mostly consisting of books, movies, comics, websites, clothing designers, and food. just general stuff i think is awesome at this moment.

a brea list of heroes:

M.I.A. - any album. i feel like M.I.A. really helped to revolutionized/revived electronic music. she put life back into it and suddenly people all over loved it again. (i know this can be said for a lot of bands.) her songs are political and you can dance to them. two things i enjoy. plus, she’s just rad.

as this is the first song i fell in love with by M.I.A., i decided it was an appropriate post. but check out her new album, kala, too. you probably already know “paper planes.”

marilyn monroe - i’m not only a huge fan of her amazing style, but i could watch her movies over and over again. netflix some like it hot right now. and then after that, gentlemen prefer blondes. she is an amazing and beautiful actress who is so much more than a pretty face.

here is a video of “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” from gentlemen prefer blondes.

barbara kingsolver - wrote a book that changed my life, animal, vegetable, miracle. she and her family lived only what they could grow for a year. that’s very impressive to me and i’ve never learned so much in one book.

the austin craft mafia - (you know i have to give a shout-out to austin, tx.) in general, i love people who do stuff - you know, like they get out there and do what they want to be doing. these ladies started crafting back when mostly grandmothers were doing it and started an amazing support group for each other. they put on a great fashion show every year. they combine my favorite things: indie fashion + diy ethic + austin, tx

my mom - she’s awesome. most supportive mom in the world. no link here. sorry.

fun week hanging out with friends so i hope you all don’t mind if i skimp a little on the list this week. but i feel like these are solid choices so let’s go for quality and not quantity here.

theresa andersson - hummingbird, go!

this girl is amazing. she’s swedish but lived in new orleans, austin, and now i’m not really sure where she is. either way, this album has me humming all afternoon.

this is by far one of the most amazing videos i’ve ever seen. if you listen to the song on its own, you think, “ah. recorded in a studio with many takes.” then you realize, she can do it all live. amazing.

world war z - by max brooks. one of the best books ever written for you zombie fans and non-zombie fans alike. it will really make you evaluate your zombie escape plan. go here to calculate your personal chance of surviving a zombie attack. i’m only 35%. (i feel like you’d do way better if you owned a boat.)

melissa shoes - amazing plastic shoes. you can see me wearing them on the dvd/online commentary for the second half of the first episode of heroes. i’ll link it as soon as it comes up. these plastic shoes are incredibly comfortable. i also own a pair of the flip-flops.

penelope - adorable movie starring cristina ricci and james mcavoy. and featuring the hilarious catherine o’hara and reese witherspoon. seriously - netflix it.

since i spent the last week visiting my home of marshall, texas, this week’s list is texas-themed.

iced tea - per laura’s suggestion, i should emphasize how much iced tea plays into my trips to texas. you just can’t get good iced tea in california like you do in texas. in california, it’s usually peach-flavored or tropical or something gross. in texas (and the south), you get two choices: sweet or unsweet. while i usually opt for the latter, i do enjoy a post-meal sweet tea. so, thank you, iced tea, for keeping me sufficiently caffeinated on my texas trip.

friday night lights - yes, i was on this show, but it’s still a great show! and it helps keep the texas film/tv industry alive. and, most importantly, it’s about texas football. i think it’s a pretty true-to-life depiction of small-town texas.

partyends! - an austin music review/show page (in case you didn’t know, austin is the live music capital of the world) - mostly indie rock, electronic, stuff like that. they usually have mp3s on their posts so you can listen while you read. and they don’t limit it texas bands.

naughty secretary club -  don’t get too excited. it’s a jewelry site - some revamped vintage, some new. all awesome. for example,

you kind of want that, right?

the great debaters - i gotta plug it because it might be the only made set in my home town. about the wiley college debate team starring denzel washington, forest whitaker, nate parker, denzel whitaker and jurnee smollett (who might very well be my new favorite actress…she is amazing!). if for no other reason, rent it to see jurnee.

i almost opted out this week since i’m out of town, but it seems like a bad idea to quit a weekly post the second week in. so i give you, this week’s brea list.

tilly and the wall - o

Pot Kettle Black from Team Love on Vimeo.

i’ve posted before about liking them, but i’m a big fan. one member tap dances in basically every song. lovin’ it. very good for getting ready in the morning and needing to get pumped up for the day. only problem is that you might put on something crazier than you normally would. you’ll be that pumped! favorite songs are “pot kettle black” and “dust me off.” plus, that video feels like something i’d like to do with my friends.

the daily show - it’s not like i just caught on to this or something, but when election time rears it’s ugly head, i like having a faux news show to make fun of all the craziness that we call democracy. also, john stewart, kind of cute. am i wrong?

american apparel tank tops - if you’ve met me, i was probably wearing a tank top. if you have seen a picture of me, same. several times this week, when i wasn’t feeling like wearing something too nice but still wanted to look cute, american apparel long tanks saved me. i just pair them up with some cute shoes and nice jeans and no one seems to care that i’m showing a little shoulder.

venus magazine - i literally read this magazine like a book. from cover to cover. and it has an insane amount of album reviews. (it’s the secret to how i know about so much awesome music.) and they have a twitter profile.

sweet potato anything - at some point recently, los angeles got an insurgence of sweet potato fries. really, you can’t go anywhere without them showing up on the menu. honestly, you could make a sweet potato shoe and i’d love it. so please, los angeles, keep the fries coming.

this was called “brea’s list of things i like.” but thanks to laura r. (see below in the comments), it gets a new name. so here’s the brea list - now more conveniently named!
and even though i’m sure the things i like will mostly be bands, books, and comics, i’ll try to throw in other things every so often.

mates of state - re-arrange us

this new album is embarrassingly catchy - embarrassing because you’ll find yourself singing at the top of your lungs in your car. then someone is staring at you so you pretend like you’re talking on your blue tooth or something. and you’re glad you’re wearing sunglasses so you don’t have to look them in the eye.  that kind of catchy. my favorite songs are “re-arrange us,” “great dane,” and “jigsaw.” and all of them.

here’s a video for “my only offer.”

books about the way we think: i’ve been on this kick lately.

in order -

Kluge by Gary Marcus (so good) - we think we’re logical but we’re really not

The Political Mind by George Lakoff - a must-read for anyone interested in politics, how framing words and ideas change our outlook and opinions, hard to explain but easy to read

Credit and Blame by Charles Tilly - a look at the way our culture gives credit and places blame

in the clothes department, Paperdoll - www.paperdollfashion.com - i wore one of her dresses to Comic Con - fun and beautiful stuff. plus she designed some stuff for Kimya Dawson who i’m a fan of.

last but not least -

the club sandwich at vegan spot. in fact, i wish i was eating one right now. also the twinkies they have there are made by my friend jenn.