1. I finally got the connection b/w Julia and Julie at the end as well, and up until then I hadn't felt it. I was a little suprised by JC's reaction though. If anything, I'd be flattered by the Project.

2. I'm sort of not surprised, given the rise in popularity of food blogging and food in general in the last several years, and the fact that I feel like it's become less shocking to have a blog turn into a book deal.

3. In some cases I'm sure that there is a little something lost once the writer gains celebrity, but I think that in this case she stayed really true to herself and didn't allow the attention to change her view of the Project, nor the blunt style in which she imparted everything from slightly hysterical fits to her everyday life at the office.

4. I could see Meryl Streep as Julia, but I'm not so sure about Amy Adams as Julie. For one thing, the girl looks like she hasn't eaten much butter in her life, and just seems too cutesy to play someone with a mouth like Julie. Not that I know who to suggest, I just don't think I really see her in the role that much.

I'm interested to see how they shape the role for Meryl Streep. The interludes about Julia were pretty dull to me and honestly, didn't add much to the story. I got a better understanding of Julie's connection to Julia when she talked/blogged about her, rather than from the interludes. So that should be interesting.

I also felt that the additional attention on the project didn't actually change the project much. I loved that she didn't make the last meal a big deal. She did her big dinner as her second to the last meal so that the project ended the way it started: just her and Eric in their small apartment enjoying some food.

Also, I seriously LOL'd when Eric asked if the end of the project meant that they could eat lots of salads. And I love the idea of Eric's Spicy Thursdays.

1. If I were Julia, I would be flattered and happy that someone of a younger generation was honoring my work by making what could be seen as very outdated cooking relevant for a new audience. However, I could see how Julia, upon hearing about Julie's Project through various media sources without having checked it out herself (probably) would think that Julie wasn't taking Julia's work seriously. Bottom line is I could see both sides of the coin, but I loved how Julie didn't measure her success or self-worth on gaining Julia's approval. I really think she ultimatley handled the news in an amazingly healthy and positive way.

2. I'm not surprised at all by the amount of attention Julie got from the blog. She was one of the first bloggers out there and was clearly feeding the blog beast (excuse the pun) on almost a daily basis, and so built up a following of "Bleaders" and proved that she was a dedicated blogger (which we all know is a major component of successful blogging), not one just jumping on a trend.

3. I don't think fame or celebrity changes the nature of the thing, at least not in this case. I don't think anonymity was key in this kind of situation. Plus, I think it adds something to know that she was a young woman struggling to find her identity, place and purpose in the world--so relatable.

4. The Amazing Meryl as Julia Child? Absolutely. She is the best kind of chameleon. Amy Adams on the other hand, is adorable but not the way I picture a butter-enhanced Julie. But I think Amy is a good actress and I will hold out hope that she will do Julie justice. I wonder how Julie feels about Amy Adams playing her! It must be strange to have an actress play you, versus just one of your "characters."

Thanks for organizing the book club, Buzz!