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What’s a cool girl to do in a summer best known for its Transformers and Terminators? You won’t even sweat it — thanks to these 25 femme-friendly things to do. It’s movies, music, TV and books tailored for the kind of girl that would shun a rom-com starring Jennifer Aniston or Sandra Bullock (sorry, Proposal!) …
1. (500) Days of Summer
Boy meets girl on her first day at the greeting-card company he works for. Girl compliments boy on his music choice. Boy falls in love. Girl reveals that she doesn’t believe in love. Boy tries to win her over anyway. In a nutshell, that is (500) Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the boy and Zooey Deschanel as the girl named Summer. A quirky, sweet indie charmer with a music-video vibe, it’s poised to become the next Garden State.
Cool Chick Alert! Deschanel is the perfect indie ingénue: adorably offbeat, incredibly stylish, ridiculously talented — hello, she plays the ukulele. (July 17)
2. Bruno
OK, so Borat wasn’t really your cup of tea. Trust, you’ll be fond of Bruno. Another alter ego from Sacha Baron Cohen, also born on Da Ali G Show, Bruno is an Austrian fashion reporter, flamingly homosexual, and traveling the globe in the name of fashion. Bruno uses the same mockumentary style as Borat, with regular schmos off the street only vaguely aware that they are being set up. While I suspect there will be fewer fashion cameos than one would expect, Cohen does make an unannounced — and unappreciated — appearance on the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada runway during Milan Fashion Week.
Loves It! Bruno’s super-ho outfits and always glossy lips. (July 10)
3. The E.N.D. by Black Eyed Peas
It’s dancey. It’s electronica. It’s spacey. It’s tribal. It’s rockin’! The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) is the first group album from the Black Eyed Peas in almost five years. And your party will be so five years ago if this isn’t in regular rotation on that iPod.
Listen to It: while dancing poolside in a hot little bikini. (June 9)
4. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
The queen of the shopaholics is back with a stand-alone novel … about ghosts. Lara’s life is unhappily complicated: her new company is having trouble, her boyfriend dumped her, and her best friend and business partner abandoned her. There is someone there for Lara: her great-aunt Sadie. Sadie happens to be a flapper-era ghost who needs Lara’s help in finding a missing necklace so Sadie may rest in peace. What starts out as another life complication turns into a glamorous, romantic adventure.
Best Read While Enjoying: a gin & tonic. (July 21)
5. Nurse Jackie
Edie Falco stars as the unconventional titular ER nurse. Patient care is number one on her agenda, forgoing such banalities as “rules” and “procedure” and “laws.” She disregards a dead man’s wishes in order to give another patient his organs. She steals money from a john who stabbed a hooker in order to give it to — who else? — a pregnant widow. She’s also screwing the hospital pharmacist so that he will keep her stocked with recreational Percocet. Grey’s Anatomy this ain’t.
Cool Chick Alert! It’s about time Falco got another series. The former Sopranos broad seems to look younger every year — and not because of plastic surgery. (June 8, Showtime)
KEEP READING: Depp, Klum and Beth Cooper![PAGEBREAK]
6. Public Enemies
Judging by the trailers, it’s set to be the coolest gangster movie since The Godfather. It is 1930s Chicago, and the city is caught in the grip of a crime wave, led by John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd. FBI agent Melvin Purvis is charged with leading agents from the newly established agency in a full-scale manhunt to bring down the charismatic — and slippery — gang legend. Based on the book by Bryan Burrough and helmed by Michael Mann, it’s got period costumes, stunningly stark photography and a cast of some of the most brilliant — and good-looking — actors Hollywood has seen in decades.
Hot Guy Alert! Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff, David Wenham … we’re breathless just thinking about it! (July 1)
7. Project Runway
Yes, fashionistas, it is here. The ugly legal battle is over, making way for ugly catfights and the occasional ugly catwalk. Project Runway returns to the tube this summer, along with Heidi Klum and beloved mentor Tim Gunn, and judging honors go to Marie Claire fashion director Nina Garcia, and designer Michael Kors. We pray it’s more of a Christian Siriano season than a Leanne Marshall (snore).
Nerve Alert! Will its move to Lifetime seem seamless, or will we find ourselves aching for those nifty Bravo tunes and snarky edits? (Aug. 20, Lifetime)
8. The Ugly Truth
Every romantic comedy needs a pair of opposites to provide the laughs before tumbling into the romance. Katherine Heigl plays a morning show producer, and Gerard Butler is her new, chauvinistic segment host. When she falls for a surgeon, he makes a bet with her: Follow his chauvinistic rules of seduction rather than her own instincts, and he will quit the show. Of course, things are never that easy, and you just know they are going to secretly fall for each other. Oh, also? Really clever poster.
Hot Guy Alert! Here’s hoping that Butler has maintained his 300 physique — and shows it off. (July 24)
9. Guilty Pleasure by Ashley Tisdale
The Disney Channel mainstay and High School Musical starlet graduates into her own with Guilty Pleasure. Yes, it is bouncy pop, pure and simple, but it’s got a hint of an electro-edge, so you won’t feel embarrassed blasting it pool side.
Listen to It While: singing into your hairbrush. (June 16)
10. I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
Before heading off to the Cineplex for the film adaptation starring Hayden Panettiere, read the original book by Doyle. Then after the film, play the role of pretentious media critic and compare the two. I Love You, Beth Cooper takes place on graduation night. Nerdy valedictorian Denis accidentally professes his love for the most popular girl in school, Beth Cooper. Flattered, Beth hints to Denis that she plans to put in an appearance at the graduation party he wasn’t planning until that very moment, which leads Denis and his friends on a series of wacky “coming of age” adventures, à la John Hughes.
Best Read While Enjoying: a big wad of Bubble Yum and listening to Simple Minds.
KEEP READING: Conquering Julia Childs, vampires and Michael Cera![PAGEBREAK]
11. Julie & Julia
Based on the best-selling book, it entwines two real-life stories: that of renowned French chef Julia Childs (played by Meryl Streep) and unhappy secretary Julie Powell (Amy Adams with a terrible, terrible haircut) who decides to bring meaning to her life by cooking all 524 of Childs’ recipes in 365 days. The film is written and directed by Nora Ephron, so you can expect a snappy adaptation.
Big Fat Warning: This movie will make you hungry. Best not to see this movie while dieting. (Aug. 7)
12. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
The 19th in the Stephanie Plum mystery series sees our plucky heroine investigating the murder of celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle. Bail bonds office worker Lula is the only witness, and pairs with our accidental bounty hunter to find the killer and share the one million dollar reward.
Best Read While Wearing: Dark glasses and a trench coat — even on the beach. (June 23)
13. Far by Regina Spektor
If Tori Amos and Dido had a love child that was nurtured by Kate Bush, that child would be Regina Spektor. Soulful and soaring, Spektor is a self-made star on the rise. Even during the summer, you still need some good chill-out music.
Listen to It With: girlfriends, margaritas, and manicures. (June 23)
14. True Blood Season 2
True Blood has it all: sexy vampires, strong female characters, romance, mind-reading, murders. Based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris and set in the sultry Louisiana bayou, True Blood follows mind-reader Sookie (Anna Paquin) who falls for a rugged vampire, and has to face the prejudices from humans and vampires alike. Steamy summer series or thinly-veiled allegory for racial bigotry? Who cares with a cast this good. Oh, and we need to know something awful who in the hell murdered poor Lafayette in the finale cliffhanger.
Grab a Cool Drink: Between the hot sex and the hot bayou, you are in for a sweltering summer. (June 14, HBO)
15. Paper Heart
Looking for a Michael Cera film this summer, but Year One looks too inane (or you are afraid to see Jack Black in a loincloth)? Then try Paper Heart, a “hybrid documentary” written/produced/composed/starring his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi. What begins as Charlyne — a woman who does not believe in love — finding out what love means to different people follows her courtship by Cera. The darling of the Sundance Festival, it blends fiction, fact, and fantasy into an enchanting film.
Hot Guy Alert! Cera isn’t your typical Hollywood hunk, but his sweet disposition and puppy-dog eyes are irresistible. (Aug. 14)
KEEP READING: Brad’s a Basterd, Judd Apatow’s latest![PAGEBREAK]
16. Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino has been promising Inglourious Basterds for nearly 10 years — and it’s finally here! Set in World War II, the film follows a group of fierce Jewish-American soldiers (“The Basterds”) as they scalp and brutalize their way through the Third Reich. This is a Tarantino film, so besides the poorly spelled title, be prepared for lots of violence tempered with lots of humor. (Want an Inglourious look at it? Click here.)
Hot Guy Alert! Brad Pitt. ‘Nuff said. (Aug. 21)
17. Blonde Charity Mafia
Get your reality fix without feeling like you need a shower afterward. Blonde Charity Mafia will follow D.C. society twentysomethings Katherine Kennedy, Krista Johnson, and Sophie Pyle as they host some of the hottest charity functions in D.C. They will also, of course, make the society party rounds. Let’s just hope these girls can keep their knickers on.
Enjoy It With: a cosmo, of course! (July 7, CW)
18. Wait For Me by Moby
An epiphany last year lead Moby to decide he wanted to make music for music’s sake — not for movies or the record industry. The result is Wait For Me, a disc that Moby describes as more experimental, more challenging, and “maybe not as easy to like.” He may have abdicated his King of the Soundtracks throne, but judging from his first single from the new disc, “Pale Horses,” he still has groove and is still easy to like.
Listen to It When: You just need to chill out, unwind, and relax. (July 14)
19. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Good sign #1: The title of this book is not BFF. Good sign #2: This is the sixth novel from the author of In Her Shoes. In Best Friends Forever, childhood friends Addie and Valerie thought they would be … well, best friends forever. But high school is a cruel mistress, and the two drift apart. Fifteen years later, Valerie is a local weathergirl, and Addie lives at home, caring for her brother, and the two haven’t spoken — until Valerie shows up at Addie’s house, covered in blood, terrified, and in need of help.
Best Read While Enjoying: A cup of tea, some biscuits, and your cat sleeping on your lap. (July 14)
20. Funny People
Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen are talented guys, but let’s be honest: A girl can only take so much of their high-school humor in one sitting. When veteran comedian Sandler finds out he is dying, he takes note of aspiring comedian Rogen and hires him as his personal assistant, mentoree, and friend. It is just the right blend of humor and heartfelt to appeal to just about any demographic.
We Like a Sense of Humor: Sandler and Rogen, with nary a funny voice between them. (July 31)
KEEP READING: The new Notebook, reality-TV weddings![PAGEBREAK]
21. The Time Traveler’s Wife
Another movie based on a novel, this one has a sci-fi twist. Eric Bana plays a librarian who suffers from a genetic anomaly that causes him to time-travel against his will. He moves back and forth through time, meeting his wife (Rachel McAdams) at various points through her life, including as a six-year-old.
Warning: When asking your guy to see this movie with you, play up the time-traveling bit, and try not to mention the strife that time travel causes in the marriage. (Aug. 14)
22. Wedding Day
Wedding shows are a dime a dozen nowadays. But they all revolve around monstrous brides or couples who spend the gross national income of a small country on their wedding. Wedding Day takes a different approach. Deserving couples who have overcome tremendous odds are given the wedding of their dreams. Kind of leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Think of It Like This: It’s like Extreme Makeover for weddings. (June 16, TNT)
23. Away We Go
SNL alum Maya Rudolph and The Office star John Krasinski star as parents-to-be who are traveling around the country to find the best place to raise their kids. Along the way, encounters with long-lost friends and relatives provide a bittersweet backdrop for this dramedy. Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and with a supporting cast that includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Catherine O’Hara, and Jim Gaffigan, it’s is poised to be the indie darling of the summer.
Hot Guy Alert! Krasinski is adorable, charming, and emo without the obnoxiousness. And now we will get him on the big screen (we sorta don’t count that one time with Mandy Moore). (June 5)
24. BLACKsummers’night by Maxwell
The sexy, sultry soul crooner is back — finally — with his first full length studio album in almost a decade. He’s making it up to fans by including a second disc with what looks likes remixes, rarities, and videos. BLACKsummers’night is the first of a trilogy, with blackSUMMERS’night set for release in 2010, and blacksummers’NIGHT in 2011.
Listen to It With: your sweetie, a bottle of wine, and dozens of candles. (July 7)
25. Swimsuit by James Patterson
What do you get when you mix a smokin’ hot model, a tropical island, and murder most foul? The new James Patterson novel! The uber-author’s newest thriller reads like a Spring Break horror story, with an added twist (of course). Journalist Ben Hawkins is also on hand to help the victim and get fodder for a best-seller. Along the way he makes a “deal with the devil” — and suddenly, he isn’t so helpful …
Best Read: Not on a tropical island … your imagination might run away with you! (June 29)
More:
THE 2009 ULTIMATE SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE
