Baby Mumbles

no more blogging

2010-02-25T16:57:00.001-08:00

tumblr is where its at

RIP TEDDY

2010-01-13T22:27:00.001-08:00

John Hamm Drunk

2009-12-24T00:23:00.001-08:00

Yum

Wildwood

2009-12-06T18:07:00.001-08:00

The Jersey Shore premiere blew my mind. Here's a little fix until the next episode.

From the 1994 doc Wildwood via four four.

New Moon

2009-11-22T17:06:00.000-08:00

I saw it. Catherine Hardwicke you are sorely missed.

Born On A Train

2009-11-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

1. to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray:
2. to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander: .
3. to extend in an irregular course or direction:
4. to move, pass, or turn idly, as the hand or the eyes.
5. (of the mind, thoughts, desires, etc.) to take one direction or another without conscious intent or control:
6. to stray from a path, place, companions, etc.:
7. to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray:
8. to think or speak confusedly or incoherently.

v.
To move about without a definite destination or purpose.
To go by an indirect route or at no set pace; amble:
To proceed in an irregular course; meander.
To go astray:
To lose clarity or coherence of thought or expression.

Adorable!

2009-11-12T21:02:00.001-08:00

I need that jacket/shirt combo

Precious Gays

2009-11-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

"I felt sorry for her. I thought she might really need my ten dollars. After all this was Saturday night, and yet she didn't have any customers. Somehow I equated her fatness, her blackness, her unpopularity with my own outcast status. She'd show me sympathy, which would magically awaken my virility.In her adoring eyes I'd become a slender hipped young prince under a gold crown of hair, skin as smooth as petals under a light green tunic. I'd protect her. I'd earn money and buy her freedom. We'd be outcasts together as a mixed couple, she a Negro whore and I her little protector. But no matter, for if this fantasy kept me a pariah by exchanging homosexuality for miscegenation, it also gave me a sacrifice to make and a companion to cherish. I would educate and protect her. I would nurse her back to decency after her years of debauchery."

- Edmund White excerpt from A Boy's Own Story

History Lesson Of The Day

2009-11-01T23:00:00.001-08:00

More Maggie!

2009-10-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

Back by no popular demand whatsoever.

The More You Know....

2009-10-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Legend has it that Michael Stipe upon seeing how R.E.M.'s song Radio Free Europe was put to use in the 80's comedy sex romp The Party Animal shouted, "Birthday party cheesecake jelly bean boom!"

Appropriate response, right?

When The Robin Lays His Nest

2009-10-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

One of the only operas I've ever seen is Madame Butterfly. It was during my Freshman year of college and it wasn't even live but taped. Pretty much everyone in my Humanities class openly hated it, jeering and laughing the whole way through. They had a point, watching a VHS copy of a staged theatrical event is pretty tedious and hardly a substitute for the real thing. But I remember feeling slightly sad and bitter knowing that all their hearts and minds were closed from the get go*. It was a general elective class meaning everyone had to take it which created a high school like atmosphere. Lots of students who did not want to be there, were. Maybe if they had spoon fed us with Malcom Mclaren's Hip Hopra take things would have worked out better.

Personal highlight: Cho Cho San's modernized lament
"Gotta have something to believe in/ My white honkey, I do miss him"

Wow, and I thought Weezer's Pinkerton album was THE final word on pop culture's reappropriation of Puccini's masterpiece.

* But their hearts and minds were not closed to say Incubus or Dashboard Confessional and often showed up to lecture in pajamas with frappachinos and ringing cellphones in hand. HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Childhood

2009-10-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Plaid Van

2009-09-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

2009-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

There is no shortage of critics who have observed and recorded the dissolution of public discourse in America and its conversion into the arts of show business. But most of them, I believe, have barely begun to tell the story of the origin and meaning of this descent into a vast triviality. Those who have written vigorously on the matter tell us for example, that what is happening is the residue of an exhausted capitalism; or, on the contrary, that it is the tasteless fruit of the maturing capitalism; or that it is the neurotic aftermath of the age of Freud; or the retribution of our allowing God to perish; or that it all comes from old stand bys, greed and ambition.

- excerpt from Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman WRITTEN IN 1985! If only he knew what a prophet he became.

For the record: I enjoy both these shows immensely.

Maggie's Party!

2009-08-27T16:21:00.001-07:00

2009-08-25T01:19:00.001-07:00

"Whether it is better, I ask, to be a slave in a fool's paradise at Marseilles. Fevered with delusive bliss one hour, suffocating with the bitterest tears of remorse and shame the next. Or to be a school mistress free and honest in a breezy Mountain nook..."

"But you feel solitude an oppression? The little house there behind you is dark and empty."

Green Gay

2009-08-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

Why Does This remind me of amateur gay porn?

All it's missing is a creepy off camera voice coaxing them to take their clothes off and questions about their girlfriends.

The Sad Truth

2009-07-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

This looks like someone went over to Andrew Dice Clay's house and said, "Hey, listen Andy, we want you to write a screenplay for us, think Taming of The Shrew meets My Fair lady but set in Sacramento!"

The Essence of Summer

2009-07-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

A short scene from Eric Rohmer's latest film, Summer Twilight

Terrible? No, It Just Reminds You That We're All Alone, That's All

2009-07-20T21:53:00.001-07:00

Rebel Without A Clause as filtered through the Paula Abdul experience.

I love when music videos have extended introsssssss, thanks Nick

Its so hot today

2009-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

and I'm hungover

Church of LaToya

2009-07-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm celebrating by staying at home and studying the Jackson Family Tree.

Goodbye Michael

2009-06-25T23:11:00.001-07:00

This has truly been a month of goodbyes for me. How I like to remember him

Maybe The Hays Code Was Onto Something...

2009-06-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

"wrong entertainment lowers the whole living condition and moral ideals of a race"

Goodbye!

2009-06-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Goodbye analog television! You had a long good run, here's to you

Goodbye Angel!

2009-06-06T13:39:00.001-07:00

Sad

2009-06-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Someone owes P.P. Arnold and Cat Stevens an apology

The Victum

The perpetrator

Goodbye Lilac Terrace!

2009-06-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Underbites

2009-05-28T00:49:00.001-07:00

cute

not cute

Life is so confusing!

I'm Officially Coming Out

2009-05-19T23:50:00.001-07:00

as a Mariah Carey defender and occasional fan of some of her singles. This is a really difficult and hard thing for me to do but the process is mitigated by the fact that it's the internet and no one is reading. You might be thinking duh Michael, you should have posted this in 2007 but I'm a late bloomer. Also there is this!

(its a lot to trudge through so I've put key elements in bold)
(No, I'm not going to cite where I found this because I'm lazy and irresponsible)

Mimi's overriding public image of the past few years has been the cult-kitsch Mariah of 2002's Glitter-- a bad/good amalgam of Flashdance's flimsy script and "Saved By the Bell"'s plaster-faced deliveries-- and that one time she pushed a hot-dog cart onto the set of "TRL" unannounced. Mariah Carey no longer equals CRAZY TIME. But back in '03, she was Ms. Vilification.

Barely anyone defended her but she found camaraderie among feminist punks Erase Errata and Sonic "I believe Anita Hill" Youth, who collaborated on a Mariah Carey-themed split 7" in 2003 for Narnack Records. The idea for the seven-inch evolved from a series of conversations between Erase Errata vocalist Jenny Hoyston and Kim Gordon about how Carey's persona was portrayed and manipulated. (And, I will add, gets less of a break than other talented musicians practicing worse alleged offenses, such as R Kelly-- I would rather listen to a thousand of the chirpy screeches on "Fantasy" with the subtext of mental instability, than the champagne-warmth of "Step in the Name of Love", with the subtext of R.'s "love" translating as "pre-teen.")

Just after the release of the Narnack 7" in '03, Erase Errata singer Jenny Hoyston told me, "When we were touring with Sonic Youth, Kim [Gordon] and I were discussing Mariah-- who she was and how she was mentally and her impact on the world at large. We were also discussing how cleavage was increasingly visible in the rise of emo, and how directly proportional boys being more sensitive was to the amount of cleavage shown. I wrote the lyrics for our side from the perspective of the woman who was Mariah's character's mother in Glitter, and it's about a woman who's a talented singer but has some substance-abuse problems and some behavioral problems, and burns down their house and keeps fucking up but she sees her child and tries to take steps for better."

Erase Errata totally pre-cogged her emancipation!

Sonic Youth's side to that mini-alb was called "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream", which later landed on Sonic Nurse-- it was the noise-anvil one featuring Gordon in her gruff bark-coo, "What's your gut feelin' about the new deal/ How's the label gonna remake you...Is innocence gonna still overtake you?...Ah Mariah, you're endless/ Like the wind, you're feelin' defenseless."

Phew! I feel so validated and less guilty after Kimmy G said it was okay to not hate her since I base my entire being and personality after emulating my favorite celebrity figures. My uncomfortable feelings for Mariah (re)started when Touch My Body came out which I view as a Feminist anthem with no irony. There are many ways in which she has done more for the woman's movement through her songs and healthy body image than say... Madonna has ever done in her entire career. Especially the last ten which has seen Madge disappear into pseudo meta physics with song lyrics embarrisingly trite and anemic record sales, making the same aging queens in LA and NY buy her albums over and over. Not to mention her obsession (hatred?) with her body, distorting it to look like a 13 year old boy's.

People actually buy mariah's music! Young(ish) people! Black people! A broad spectrum of people. Still to this day! If the beauty of pop music is a broad mass democratic appeal she certainly seems to fill that role better than many other pop starlets out there both young and old. Also there is this:

I rest my case

P.S. While we're on the subject of shameful pop crap I have to admit that I "get" Taylor Swift. It makes sense. Just say yes.

Art.

2009-05-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

urklebot!

2009-05-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

Just Do It Already

2009-05-08T18:06:00.001-07:00

My sister is about to pop any day now and I"m impatient. Just have it already

:(

2009-05-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Its cinco de mayo and I work nights so there is no way I can enjoy a 42 ounce margarita from El Conquistador.

I Need This

2009-04-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me will agree.

Jenkem

2009-04-15T01:34:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a show that follows around people who throw grossly expensive weddings. One couple lives in Florida and are very proud of that fact as they refer to the state as the capital of the world.

Butt hash!

Tough Times

2009-04-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

call for comfort youtube clips! Two of my favorite things mashed together! Not sure about their compatibility yet.

Hair Piece!

2009-04-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hair Piece in a heavy thick accent sounds like herpies!!!!

Oh My Gawwwwd

2009-04-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm at a work computer and I'm going to list some of the recent box activity suggestions when I went to name this post!

Addicted To You
Anal Sex Birthday
Anniversary Blow Job
Bury The Hatchet
Congrats On Divorce
Come to the BBQ
Give The Fuck Up
Your vagina
Your Vagina youtube

I need to meet whoever is here during the daytime!

Tomorrow Is A Big Day

2009-03-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

Australia and Beverly Hills Chihuahua come out on DVD tomorrow. I'll be camped out in front of Video Journeys at 10am (so early!) to ensure my rental copy. No pretty pics of chihuahuas in jewelry or mean spirited snaps of Nicole Kidman's awkward botoxed face (she can act, alright?!?! Leave her alone) as I no longer have a computer. Don't ask.

Happy President's Day!

2009-02-15T16:21:00.001-08:00

no on 8!

Culturally Expansive

2009-02-11T11:28:00.001-08:00

Oh the benefits of cohabitating with a foreign born gay, you get to learn all about bad early 90's Euro dance music!!!! Typical of Europe a lot of them are DOWNBEAT as opposed to the American optimism of black diva wailings to a club thumping beat usually describing emancipation, freeing yourself, talk of the girl you used to be, etc etc. I mean it was the worry free 90's right??? Guess they didn't get that memo across the pond.

This is Gala, who was a dance diva giant but sadly only released one album at least according to my roomie. I'm too lazy to verify the statement so its true. Its a little medley of her biggest hits, the opening video is a classic queer anthem called Let A Boy Cry, a black and white tale of homo shame and guilt punctuated by urine colored tears.

choice lyric: you're always waiting for somebody and you don't like yourself/they made you change do you remember, when you were someone else

Call And Response

2009-02-09T23:52:00.001-08:00

My good friend Max over at Lightning History. posted a playfully insolent Woody Allen interview which in three minutes manages to be more interesting and insightful than the entirely of a few of his select works (INTERIORS!). I feel its my duty to needlessly stir the pot and try to ONE UP him by posting my own funny and boldy disrespectful interview of someone appropriate to my BACKground... which naturally means a drug addled tranny chaser!

I'm starting this lame blog war to DRUM UP business!

OMG THE MOON!

2009-02-09T23:18:00.000-08:00

Its a full, luminous, mysterious, beautiful, roMANtic, wintery moon! Crazy!

p.s. It hailed today! crazy!

Clips From My Favorite RomComs!

2009-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Bcuz its February!

Fast Food Fast Women

Next Stop Wonderland

Broken English

Eban And Charley

Okay kidding about that last one! But you know, not.

Its February!

2009-02-01T12:29:00.001-08:00

January always feels so slow and stale. When it hits the first of Feb my entire psyche leaps with joy. Its the shortest month (I'm a fan of the brief), the big V day and its delightful color palette, all those presidents being born prompting a national HOLIDAY, Black History Month, the list goes on and on!

These Days

2009-01-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

I play rockband a lot. Probably too much. This is a pretty accurate depiction/reenactment of what goes down.

Beneath It All/ Desire of Oblivion Runs

2009-01-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

The Recession Is Affecting Everyone

2009-01-12T22:57:00.000-08:00

November 17th, 2008 - According to Soap Opera Digest, Deidre Hall, along with Drake Hogestyn (her on-screen husband) have been let go from the show. NBC renewed the show for a few more seasons but significantly dropped the amount of money they would pay for the show. Both Hall and Hogestyn were dropped as a result of the large budget cut by NBC.

I can't believe the iconic Dr. Marlena Evans couldn't survive the current low economic tide. And it happened waaaaay back in November, where have I been? I'm unemployed and there is no excuse why I should have just found this out. I hope Deidre Hall will be OKAY, somehow I think she'll just scrape by, above is a picture with her son, hopefully she can still provide.

Most Anticipated Film of 2009

2009-01-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Ronnie and Maggie

2009-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling Ronnie made a raunchy pun somewhere along the lines about the lady turning during a passionate clandestine tryst in the White House.

Poor Nancy! I think we know where she found solace

My Favorite Films of 2008!

2009-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Smile! No One Cares

In No Particular Order:

Happy Go Lucky
Love Songs
The Witnesses
Snow Angels
Tell No One
Milk
The Dark Knight

3 of the films are French. Yes, I'm a Francofile ...

But who isn't????

Before Paula There Was Karen

2008-12-29T19:00:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling out of it lately. When this happens I always fall back on these clips

Its a two parter!

The Curious Case of Sweeping Hollywood Epics

2008-12-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

INARTICULATE RAMBLINGS AND INCOMPLETE THOUGHTS ON BENJAMIN BUTTON BELOW WITH SPOILERS

I managed to escape the house on Christmas evening for a few hours to rid myself of the petty grievances of family gatherings that can pull you under and fled to my one true sanctuary. I saw Benjamin Button in Berkeley among an impressively full crowd of delicious hipsters at an expensive (10 dollars for a small popcorn and soda!) Art House theatre. The audience was my favorite part of the movie.

In the context of big sweeping Hollywood epics, which to my surprise it is, I guess you could call it a step in the right direction. I had been under the impression it was going to be a platform release and modestly budgeted allowing for David Fincher to continue his detail obsessed "quirky" cinema practices last found in Zodiac. Within the first ten minutes I knew it was swinging for the fences in a big way, hoping for a Forrest Gump like grand slam (same screenwriter), begging the audience to connect by dumping millions of dollars into every minute and creating many broad affable characters who speak in clumsy aphorisms.

The producers better hope for those kind of numbers. After a little research I find this thing cost upwards of 150 million and was financed by both Paramount and Warner Brothers. If you asked me a month ago based off trailers and buzz release, I would have said, it will prob do 35-50 million if its lucky. It’s a lock for 100 easily after Xmas box office figures are released despite a nearly 3 hour running time and a surprisingly amount of needless pessimism that comes across callow/juvenile.

Two recurring themes are death and storms. Both seem to constantly be happening on screen. One would THINK a movie about aging backwards, especially if you’re blessed with Brad Pitt’s face and an inheritance that allows you to not work ¾ of your life would have a little bit more fun. But no, Fun is for suckers and films that do respectable business but don’t earn the OSCARS, which this wants to do, desperately. To my bafflement it very well may do both.
Brad Pitt’s Benjamin Button is possibly the most enigmatic and non entity main character since Carol White from SAFE (praise be to the BEST movie of ALL TIME). But instead of using a blank canvas/sleepwalker to make subversive sociopolitical statements we are supposed to connect to him and understand him. How you ask? I don’t really know, a few possible theories; dump our emotional baggage onto him, we do the heavy lifting for such a pretty face. Or maybe some find charm in his listlessness as it is common knowledge that blank stares and mental vacancy are cute.

His characters towards the end does something ABSOLUTELY selfish and reprehensible abandoning both his wife and child because of his concerns about the baby having him as a father (I'll be different than other papas!) and his wife eventually having to take care of him. That he expresses these sentiments several times during her pregnancy to which she talks him down and out of it make his leaving all the more baffling and he does nothing to earn back her or our forgiveness. The film turns into an unofficial anthem for dead beat dads EVERYWHERE. Luckily there is a scene with Cate Blanchett whose acting saves this erratic and poorly written contrivance with a simple, “You’re so young” and suddenly we completely understand why it would never work and why he did what he did.
The film decides to “go there” and stupidly starts on the eve of Hurricane Katrina. By doing so, it politicizes the film from the get go, we can’t help but think of a certain ineffectual president, an incoming one and an underbelly of classism/racism so long ignored and shockingly exposed for everyone to see. This makes the sanitized and completely false historical flashbacks back indefensible. You can’t help but think WTF as we’re immediately introduced to Queenie the stereotypical black mammy figure who raises little Ben throughout the entire movie. Yes, a black woman who is a maid/caretaker at a convalescent home raising a prematurely aged white child in the deep south during the 30’s without a single character every commenting or addressing the issue. Not only that but she literally sleeps in a dank basement bedroom her ENTIRE LIFE. Even when Ben comes into money via a rich deadbeat father (recurring theme), what does he do? He goes to cavort in the Florida Keys with Daisy, while mama dies back at home. Her daughter drops out of the film somewhere along the line and her husband, a charmed happy smiling Shakespeare quoting gent died conveniently 10 minutes previously while Ben was off seeing the world. Characters who solely exist to please/accommodate ole' Ben. But don't worry there's a fun black church scene.
There is a brief interlude in which Benjamin meets an elderly upper class British woman played by Tilda Swinton that is charming and touching allowing for subtle psychological complexity and is one of the few times the movie has fun with the premise of aging backwards. He sees her as a mother figure or a potentially aged Daisy (the red hair) and she picks up on this and willingly complies, bossing him around and educating him on the ways of the world, through the taste of caviar and other ahem acquired tastes. That he is inexperienced and having his first bout of puppy love while looking 60 is part of the charm.
Cate Blanchett gives a solid performance as Daisy and tries her hardest to convince the audience of why she loves him but its just not there. There is no reason why she (or we) should love him.
It has a few interesting touches now and then. The simple fact that Ben has sex (losing his V in a whore house no less) with many different woman pretty constantly throughout the film feels revolutionary. Somewhere along the line it seems most characters in mainstream Hollywood flicks stopped doing it, too busy shopping or committing violent acts. And while she is the love of his life, and vice versa, they both take lovers on during various stages and don’t regret it or hold it against each other. Also, Daisy most likely dyked out and is pretty sex positive in her attitudes during an interesting conversation she has with him in an empty veranda wearing a sexy maroon number. No blushing flower is Miss Daisy.
In the end we are treated to a literal image of Time’s tide
I guess in other director’s hands this would be cavity inducing but thanks to Fincher’s sociopathic film techniques it goes down with a bit less indigestion.

Well Of Loneliness

2008-12-19T14:22:00.001-08:00

Today is a Very Important One

2008-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

I don't blog much these days but I simply must on this occasion as it is the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven (238 years young today!), Jane Austin (233), the blithe Noel Coward (109), Phillip K. Dick (80), and Liv Ullman (70). But most importantly OF ALL, on Dec. 16, 1977 Saturday Night Fever was released and pop culture was forever changed! This is like the Titanic/Gone With The Wind of my summer childhoods spent in Suffolk County on Long Island. I dare you to watch this and not believe in romance again!
Also since this is ME and my blog and my preoccupation with all things dour I'd like to point out famous deaths on this day. We lost Sylvester this day in 1988 which makes me feel (mighty sad). Colonel Sanders also kicked the bucket this day in 1980, and Somerset Maughem left us in 65. I'd like to imagine all three hanging out, bonding over a tub of extra crispy.

Satanic Santas

2008-12-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

Someone over at youtube had the good sense to make a video tribute to Christmas Evil, the greatest holiday movie of all time! Sadly it only shows the truncated version of baby Harry coming down the stairs to see his mommy more than kissing Santa Claus. After that scene you have my permission to press stop. If or rather WHEN you rent it, you will be treated to a raunchier midnight Santa tryst. Also, it has a brief but memorable cameo by Patricia Richardson aka Jill Taylor aka mom from Home Improvement!

Next Up we have Siskel and Ebert reviewing Silent Night: Deadly Night in which they put on displays of indignation rarely seen outside court rooms dealing with social justice issues. Lighten up fellas!

And in closing I present you with "All Through The House" a horror short from the original Tales From The Crypt movie starring a young and actually attractive Joan Collins! I implore you to watch the entire 10 min film as it is REALLY good and gets under the skin by the end. It is genuinely creepy in the best way possible. They don't make em like they used to.

Days of Folly and Fun

2008-12-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

A squat notebook with a lemonade yellow cover that has the words Do Not Read written three times on the cover. Yes, my high school diary has been unearthed. Contain yourselves please. I simply ask that you all commend me for this brave soul baring act.

4/30/97
Tomorrow I go to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. I’m excited. I saw Scream. The beginning was scary. I read a John Grisham novel, The Rainmaker, pretty good!

This will be the first and last time I share with you the insights of my mind at 15 because THERE WAS NOTHING THERE.

Doesn't it feel like Xmas? [no]

2008-11-28T12:46:00.001-08:00

Now that we've gotten all that turkey business out of the way bring on XXXmas!!!!

a pair of chloe shades and a belly diamond ring??? you shouldn't have!
In the beginning all the shop clerks are giving dirty looks towards B and friends because they're dressed up as Santa sluts? Or is there a deeper social commentary on the subtle racial tensions/discriminations they endure even as superstars, ignorant shop owners who still assume they are potential shoplifters.

And So The Lion Fell in Love With The Lamb

2008-11-23T18:26:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in a while and one would think that say attending the protest ralley would move me to blog but no. That is NOT the kind of person I am and this is NOT that kind of blog. I come to proclaim the through mediocraty and ineptness of Twilight. To be fair, it does have its flashes of charm, which are my favorite types of film! Its like rummaging through the sales bin at a thrift store for far too long; your nose stuffed up from all the dust, slightly hungry and tired, and starting to question why you are there at all when suddenly you find a beautiful timeless cardigan or T Shirt that say I'm Glad My Mommy Didn't Have An Abortion. Suddenly the trip has been redeemed, its all been worth it.

For me that moment is the infamous vampire sparkle sequence, or should I say SEQUINce. After Bella discovers Edward is a vampire largely through her google search skills, he decides he wants to show her the REAL Edward... in the sunlight! So on his back she goes and he takes off at rapid speeds in some seriously low budget effects and editing to some mountainish top where the clouds have parted. For you see, in the world of Twilight, vampires do not perish at the sight of sunlight but sparkle brilliantly like diamonds. Somehow Edward's shirt comes completely unbuttoned when he steps into the light, revealing his true vampire glory, chest hair and all, looking like a cross of James Dean and Ziggy Stardust, glittering wildly as Bella declares his beauty and we the audience can't help but agree.

I wish the movie had more moments like that. A big problem is the vampire clan itself. They're really boring and seriel monogamists. Each one is paired off. For fun they like to play baseball during thunderstorms [zzzzzzzzzzzzzz] The villianous vampires are natually more intersting and a lot of fun but don't get nearly enough screen time. They're also a more progressive and unconventional lot traveling in a group of three with a West Indian Rasafarian vamp as the unofficial leader.

I'd like to focus now on Robert Pattinson's performance as the byronic Edward Cullins. I kept wanting this

[David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newtom from The Man Who Fell To Earth]
as opposed to

[Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre]
His performance here is a miss, a somewhat amiable one which is a shame because he showed such promise as the tragic Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire where I had perhaps an inappropriate thought or two when he came onscreen.

The only other supremely homo moment that sticks out in my mind is when they do a brief sepia toned flashback to the making of Edward as a vampire which involves some queer and unexplained character psychology of the benevelont Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He is a doctor who already a vampire can't control his urges around Edward and it is only after making beautiful lithe Eddie an eternal creature of the night that he decides to turn his wife into one as well.

The Video Starbucks DOES NOT WANT you to see!

2008-11-12T12:55:00.001-08:00

You don't need to understand Spanish to enjoy the clip

From Almodovar's What Have I Done To Deserve This?

The Need for Tweed

2008-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I sat around with a group of 'mos and we all wistfully recalled the softcore erotic thrillers we were forced to sit through while we came of age. Holding our breath for the tastefully brief shots of male buttocks and ravenously feasting upon the sight with our starving eyes, those were the stale salad days of our youth. For me this took place in my BFF's grimy living room around 1am, digesting pizza and coke while trying to hide a raging erection. The best bet was to be already lying prostate on the floor otherwise you had to feign sleepiness and hug a couch cushion. Here are a few clips from various films of the all time great high sultan of slutiness, goddess of softcore erotic thrillers, Canada's finest export, Mrs. Shannon Tweed!

They can't take away our right to Party!

2008-11-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Right??? Just watch it'll be on the ballot in two years and pass. Whatever, who wants to get married ANYWAYS right? ??? right??? :(

Laughlin

2008-11-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I engaged in the political process by campaigning for Obama in Laughlin, Nevada. Since it is now November my feverish obsession with the race has consumed me entirely. Not that I'm particulary worried about the outcome but My. Eye. Is. On. The. Prize. I canvassed with my new BFF (hi Bobo, hi!) which means we went door to door reminding people to vote and asking them how they felt about the upcoming elections, offering the most convincing, persuasive and polite reasons why they should vote for Obama (yes, I do plan on getting as much social mileage out of the situation as possible). We ran the gamut of responses from doors shut hastily in our faces to enthusiastic endorsements for OUR candidate.
To see people telling you that they plan on voting for Obama, our most common response by the way, who come from completely different backgrounds and experiences than you, ones that might not be the most conducive to voting for such an exciting and new candidate really can be quite moving if you let it be. I would say my favorite Laughlin citizen I had the pleasure of talking with would be Daisy who was an enthusiastic Obama supporter but didn't know her voting location which we were able to provide, also gaining points were her cat, bad leg and general Eddie Beale vibe. A close second was a sweet and tender thug who wasn't on our list of potential persuasion voters but answered the door shirtless and tattooed, whispering us good luck sincerely . Even recalling the memory has my knees buckling and head going slightly dizzy. DEFINITELY the worst was GAIL who we never actually spoke to but we did get an ear full from her irate husband who screamed and threatened to call the cops on us. Right before him was this uppity older woman who was reading a trashy romance novel and we clearly interrupted her session as she was seriously crotchety.
Well now that I've skimmed the surface of what went down (the stay at the Tropicana Express deserves a post of its own) the only thing left to do is filter the experience through the pop culture medium. The only way I know how to relate to or communicate with others. The easiest shorthand for expression/emotion in my HUMBLE opinion. This fits surprisingly well.

Ki Ki Ki Ki, Ma Ma Ma Ma

2008-10-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Since its almost Halloween I thought I'd pay tribute to one of my all time favorite morally wrong mamas Mrs. Pamela Vorhees. According to legend (or imdb trivia pages] Betsy Palmer said that if it were not for the fact that she was in desperate need of a new car, she would never have taken the part of Pamela Voorhees. In fact, after she read the script she called the film "a piece of shit". She worked on the film for ten days, for which she received $1000 per day.

Damn! That last one looks like Garey Busey with a bad weave. 10k! She could get a Kia Rio with that kind of money

Also to justify my kind of sincere enjoyment of the Friday the 13th series I thought I'd throw in some high falutin' art by Peter Doig who seems to be just as enamored and obsessed with the films as I am. He has several paintings that draw upon the final sequence from the first film.

According to the NYRB, "...he creates scenes where a defining act has happened or will happen, and what we take in is an indirectly tense coda or prelude."

Heady stuff!

Incoherent thoughts and Unfinished Ideas on this Weekend's Box Office

2008-10-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

High School Musical 3 debuted to 42 million dollars this weekend, the highest opening ever for a musical but color me unimpressed. Given that the last sequel was the highest rated basic cable program ever with 17 million viewers and the 57 million dollar opening of that OTHER TV to film adaptation Sex And The City I had slightly higher expectations. Furthermore, the audience for HSM3 are the 18 and under crowd, notorious for rushing out opening weekend as opposed to the geriatrics who hobbled to the theatre for Sex And The City, a group more prone to go second or third weekend, or even wait for it on DVD. Who knew the latter would turn out to be the Stalingrad/Gettsyburgh/D Day for middle aged women across America?
That said, credit is due to the producers of HSM3 who somehow managed to have it made for 10 million dollars which is mind blowing. That is how much money should have been spent alone to guarantee the presence of Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. Not to mention the worldwide launch that brought in an extra 43 million bringing its total to 83 in just three days. Perhaps we can take this as a good sign, the rest of the world maybe doesn't hate us so much or they're at least curious, gobbling up our All American tale of Prom, Musical Theatre and Big Game Night drama just as enthusiastically as we are.

Also opening was Saw 5 with 30 million which you might say "hacked" or "sliced" into their audience, "bloodying" the film enough to prevent it from breaking further records. [Tee hee hee!] That 30 million take by the way is REMARKABLY sanguine for the 5th entry in the series. It will become the highest grossing horror franchise of all time after this week and before everyone starts griping about INFLATION and this and that you can look at the 5th entries in any other horror series and see how much trouble they were in fiscally and to a larger extent creatively. Michael Myers was going toe to toe with an 8 year old psychic girl at the 5th entry. That series like many others of its day were not meant or planned out correctly to be so prolific. The Saw series seems to be consistently competent for fans and ever so slowly inching forward its storylines while offering the same dismemberment and torture during each installment. No underage psychics or trips to exotic locals are needed at this point. I've written about the Saw phenom before here, so I don't have much new to add. Respect and admiration is due to the industriousness of the series which seems to poop out on the dot once a year with seriously low budgets. Sadly this probably guarantees that we’ll be seeing at the very least a Saw 9 opening around 2012, lucky us!

You would think the combination of super saccharine and sadistic viewing options at the theatres would be mutually exclusive audiences but I imagine they are not. The same bored 16 year olds who frequented HSM3 I'm sure have also been raised on a steady diet of Law And Order: Special Victims Unit and have no problems sticking around for a stronger fix in Saw 5.

Aside from the content of the films, this weekend gives me hope as you have audiences showing up in huge flocks for low budget entertainment that came from unconventional methods. High School Musical was originally a made for TV movie and the original Saw was an independently produced movie that was sold to a movie studio. In a strange way ingenuity is being rewarded, just not in the case of what's being seen on the screen, and showing that films can turn a profit while still playing in a theatre.

Live Requests and Dedication

2008-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have a foreign friend who recently moved to Los Angeles and one of the first things he wanted to do was check out Hollywood Boulevard, the last place anyone who has lived here for more than 30 minutes wants to go. Okay that's not true there's always the valley. You can also approach the boulevard in that artsy resigned way where every hideous grotesque building/shop/tourist/street impersonator has a special kind of beauty. In regards to the street performers you can angle it as if there is a touching poignency to the gap between the reality of the situation and what they are trying to achieve. Their physical/monetary/mental limitations and constraints become endearing and winsome. Think Harmony Korine who has made an entire career out of exploiting that sensation. [For the record, I quite enjoy his work, even Julian Donkey Boy!]

N-E ways, sorry for that deep moment, hope no one drowned! After trudging past Marilyn Monroe's star in front of McDonald's [it don't get more American than that!] I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of this

That is neither my foot nor that of my friend, just a random passerby caught in the cell phone pic crossfire.

The Art Laboe Connection is definitely one of my favorite radio shows of all time, up there with The Quiet Storm After Hours with Sean Andre and the now defunct The Lockdown Hour with Michael Baisden where people would call in and talk about their own experiences of being incarcerated or of a close family member/friend and then request a song. What is pleasing and amusing about Art is not just the mild camp aspect of a 80 year old man fielding shout outs and dedications from all the working class homies out there in Norwalk, Whitter, La Mirada, etc, etc,
No, it is much simpler than that. The reason I love the Art Laboe Connection which airs on Hot 92 Jamz is that they play the same exact 4 songs EVERY night without fail and luckily I'm obsessed with two of them so I can get my fix daily. Now I know what you're thinking, stupid you can just listen to them on youtube if they're so great. NO, there is something magical and ephemeral about hearing the song you like come on the radio. Stop BUMMING me out with your cynical have everything now if you want mentality! Here are the songs that make me perk up and raise the volume.

Honey Cone- Girls It Ain't Easy. I fell in love with this song back when I was in third grade and I would watch the 15 second preview of Mi Vida Loca on Pay Per View because they would loop this song throughout the promo and it was instantly catchy and when accompanied by the image of a chola crying and dramatically shaking her friend over the hood of a baby blue vintage convertible chrysler, well its not something you forget easily.

Spanglish Version of Angel Baby- Rosie and The Originals. I prefer this to the original. I can't help but thing of the doomed lesbian sexlove from Mulholland Drive.

Sweet Daddy Bear

2008-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

This is a clip from Child Of Rage, a made for TV movie that aired on CBS in 1992. Interesting enough I have many friends who have the same complex as our little Catherine.

You can watch the whole thing on youtube where you will be treated to scenes of baby brother bashing and dog stabbing.

No Matter What Happens Tim, I Love You

2008-10-15T12:25:00.001-07:00

So tonight is the Project Runway finale and for me its the end of an era. The past two years I have slaved I mean diligently worked on the show and last Friday was my final day. Season five by the way is not my fault, blame casting. Currently unemployed with an ever increasing daytime TV addiction/habit I'm feeling nostalgic as I sip nescafe and iron. Kidding! Actually I'm at my friends house playing the Easy ABC music for all Electronic Keyboards: Madonna Edition.

I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast but this photo is perhaps one of my most prized and cherished possessions I will keep until the day I die.I'm not at the height of my creative powers/mental acuity otherwise I would create a fantastic story to accompany this image but all I can think is I'm hungry and its lunchtime. However, tonight I will get my second stab with Tim, here's hoping this time he'll respond to my sweet whispers.

Ms. Ross Appreciation Day

2008-10-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

My powers of persuasion are nothing compared to wiki's description of her 1987 dance hit Swept Away...

The song talked about how the narrator thought she was in love with a special person only to find out that she had just been "swept away" after catching her lover cheating on her sending her into a rage and panic.
In the music video, directed by Dominic Orlando in Manhattan and on location in Long Island, Ross is seduced by a Frenchman and falls in love with him only to find out, after arriving unannounced in a bar, that he's cheating on her with another French girl in a stylized Apache Dance. She then confronts the man hitting him repeatedly, and later fights with the French girl who ends up being knocked out unconscious by the singer. Later in the video, the Frenchman tries to fight his way back into her life only to have Ross accidentally push him from a lighthouse tower into the water. It was one of Ross' most popular videos, and her first to air on MTV.

No One Gets The Prize

Italians Do It Better

2008-10-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

October means Halloween which means scary movies! In terms of which country does them best, contrary to popular belief it is NOT Japan but Italy. Yes, that beautiful boot shaped country known as the birthplace of fascism and pizza.

Don't Torture a Duckling

Inferno

Bay of Blood ending, it's a little slow but stick with it!

October is the ME Month

2008-10-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

An entry from my 6th grade journal for English.

Sept, 13 1993

10 favorite foods

1. Eggrolls
2. pizza
3. candy
4.chips
5.fruit
6.ham
7.bacon
8.hashbrowns
9. mashed potatoes
10. spare ribs

15 years on and I'm still quite fond of pork products. I had no idea I felt so strongly about the standard Asian appetizer during my childhood. They are pretty tasty. Although my list would pretty much be completely different now there is still some truth to this. When drunk I'm pretty sure this is what my palate regresses back to.

Hail, Mary

2008-10-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

OMG! I totally had my first apparition experience last night! Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe paid me a visit. At first I was nervous, you know? I worried the world was ending or I was dead or schizophrenic.

But then we totally hit it off! Mary's the best! She was like, " I can't talk for long, I'm really busy, but I just wanted to say hi, and see how you're doing?"

And I said, "Oh I'm good, same old same old, nothing new really. Just work and things."

And she was like, "I miss you so much! Its been soooooo long"

And I said, "Yeah, its been like 12 years since I stopped believing in you"

Then it got silent and a little awkward, so I offered up a feeble sorry and she was like , "Its okay, I understand"

Of course she would be like that! Sigh, Magnanimous Mary. Then I told her about Skype and how she has to get an account, I explained how fun and easy it is. We wrapped it up pretty quick after that, she told me she was voting for Obama and to keep a light on in her honor and that Joseph says hi.

Emotions

2008-10-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Cruising youtube I came across the music video for one of my all time favorite Bee Gees jams and its a beaut. It has an eerie suspenseful vibe given all the smoke, vaseline lighting, doppelganger imagery and Samantha Sang's resemblance to Dr. Robert Elliot

Is it me or are the close ups used in a threatening/seriously frightening manner? As it zooms in to a degree that makes the viewer [or at least me] uncomfortable and Samantha coos "where are you now? Now that I need you? " you can't discern whether she wants to give you a baby kiss on the lips or slash your throat with a razor. I think De Palma would approve.

R.I.P Paul

2008-09-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

You will be missed! Perhaps the studliest of all actors from his generation and that's no small feat! As my friend Hassan told me earlier, he wishes he was in the U.S. to commemorate by buying a bottle of his Caesar dressing which is SO good. He always was about quality on and OFF the screen.

I Need To Listen to This ASAP

2008-09-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the track listing.

1. Love & Tears
2. I Want To Live
3. Ride a white Swan
4. Life Of Leisure
5. Babywoman
6. Looks Swank (Spooky)
7. Picnic In the Rain
8. When I Think About Rain
9. All Through The Night
10. Sunshine On a Rainy Day

Looks like Naomi has a preoccupation with rain? Three songs have it in the title, four if you want to get creative and count tears. There also seems to be a bittersweet complexity hinted at in just glancing at the overall track listing, see #1,6,7, and 10. Who knew Naomi was so emotionally sophisticated? She also got a little help from her friends in the backup vocals department with Luther Vandross [!] and Chrissie Hynde contributing to Swan and Love & Tears respectively. How could anyone refuse at least one go round in the ole' boom box?

As to which song I'm most excited to listen to based on title alone, its a tough one. There is the T. Rex cover Ride A White Swan which gets me curious. Looks Swank (Spooky) seems like it might be a searing inditement of the fashion industry and Picnic in the Rain appears to be one of those ditties that captures the laughing through the tears emotions I know we all love to experience and more importantly listen to. Babywoman kind of gives me a semi as there's nothing hotter than women who act like babies, am I right guys? All Through The Night and Sunshine On A Rainy Day are too generic and Life of Leisure is just a touch too on the nose, its like duh Naomi! Ultimately its track two I want to skip to and put on repeat. I Want to Live, with its simple Corky St. Clair like affirmation really gets me salivating and itching to spend money in an ironic conspicuous way. Wish me happy hunting in the used CD section at Amoeba!

The O.G. Riot Grrrrl

2008-09-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes, and by past times I mean things to do while bored at work is to research and learn about the lives of the children of presidents. I'm also deeply obsessed with first ladies. Basically, anybody who is political by proximity. What they choose to do with the role they've been given says a lot about the person's character and in many cases they do absolutely nothing [Hi Laura!]
Politics have just been on the brain lately, they're all I can think about really so I thought I'd take this time to decompress and try to express the joy and love I have for my favorite child of a president, Ms. Amy Carter. I'm going to let the photos speak for awhile before I jump back in with a word or two.

Welcome To The Dollhouse

Amy with her cat Misty Malarky Ying Yang

Amy at tennis camp about to fuck up a bitch up for taking the pic

Amy at some sort of dull inauguration thing or other

I mean looking at these photos how can you NOT hear Kathleen Hanna wailing, "We are Bikini kill, and we want revolution! girl style now! " Amy lived in the White House from 4 to 9 years of age. During her occupancy she received an elephant from a Sri Lankan immigrant and owned 39 teddy bears [Wikipedia, what would I do without you!]

She apparently received heavy media coverage as she was the first child to live in the White House since the early 60's but she never let it go to her head! Choice quote, when asked whether she had any message for the children of America, Amy replied with a simple "No".

President Carter mentioned his daughter during a 1980 debate with Ronald Reagan, when he said he had asked her what the most important issue in that election was and she said, "the control of nuclear arms". This from a 9 year old! More politically conscious than the bush twins combined.

She maintained her sass through adulthood too as she was married barefoot and chose not to be "given away," stating that she "belonged to no one." Gangsta!

Amy, I love you.

In Time, Everything Will Please Us

2008-09-18T18:13:00.002-07:00

Look at the graphic design for these generic brand sodas from the 80's. Minimalist and mega cool, right? In that Soviet Block kind of way

Anyhow much better than the one I grew up with

The above image strikes fear into my palette. I think of rock hard, cardboard like Cheerios in my mouth. The taste of disappointment.

Magnetic Presence

2008-09-18T18:13:00.001-07:00

What is it about musicians? I would say I do, after Nov 4th of course.

My two favorite Kim's of all time in one video!

Frightening/ Depressing Children's Entertainment

2008-09-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

I actually saw this as a child and recall the following sequence somewhat vividly. For good reason I believe as it is REALLY disturbing! However I don't remember being as rattled then as I am now upon second viewing. The lysergic animation coupled with the monster's horrific rabid gluttony as a means to fill the painful void of being and loneliness ["I could gorge forever, I'm just an empty shell"] is nightmarish to say the least. Because this was made in the late 70's [films were crazy then!] when Raggedy Anne reveals her heart is made of candy my pulse quickened and I truly feared for her safety and what would become of her in the taffy pit.

Upon first viewing [I know, that means I watched it more than once] of this clip I fell into a deep hole of depression that I was only able to climb out of with the aid of a healthy dose of anger. Is it me or does Kathy Lee sing and dance the entire time while underage children and puppets labor and toil away. We witness a frazzled obviously overworked mouse who comes this close to a nervous breakdown on camera to children forced to sleep at their workstations, make cookies, and POLISH the jukebox! Thus confirming what we've always known, Kathy Lee is a ruthless uncaring despot.

Culture Wars

2008-09-10T18:35:00.001-07:00

It seems like everyone is freaking the fuck out over Sarah Palin as the VP nom, myself included. Looks like we've got ANOTHER tired culture war on our hands instead of an election focusing on policy issues. Being the liberal, provincial cosmopolitan I am I initially saw McCain's pick as a huge blunder, it came across as desperate, manipulative, and uninformed. But then again I also can't fathom how this receives 16 million youtube hits or how this artist has managed to sell over 25 million records.

I guess the point is, she does have appeal and we have to get over it. Obama is a smart savvy politician. He's a Clinton slayer who can up the ante and show the working class that he cares about them because he really does. We just have to take deep breaths and try not to worry about the ever approaching November 4th date.

What I Thought of Sarah Palin's Speech Last Night

2008-09-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

Although I must say baby trig was extra cute and stylish in a midnight blue and black striped onesie.

My old roommate was famous!

2008-08-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

The proof!

This explains the Norma Desmond antics

Roxanne's Brittish Behavior

2008-08-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

The following plays out like a scene from a pitch black comedy.... but this is real! Youtube never ceases to fascinate me.

Food

2008-08-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a show that involves food so its been on the mind lately. Here are a few choice clips on the theme.

Estonian commercial for beef from the soviet era, early 80's?

America's answer!

tasty stop motion to some groovy beats

fast food patron showcasing serious innovation

I'm obsessed

2008-08-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Nollywood

2008-08-01T16:26:00.001-07:00

The Nigerian film industry aka Nollywood is experiencing an explosive growth and productivity rate thanks to the rise of digital cinema. In fact it ranks third, behind only America and India in terms of cinematic output often churning out 200 [!] titles a month. Its estimated worth is about 250 million US dollars and many Nollywood films deal with heavy subject matter; AIDS, corruption, women’s rights, etc etc. There are also apparently a huge number of blatant evangelical vids passed as entertainment. I NEEDED to quench my thirst for Nollywood with a youtube expedition immediately. Let me just say, thirst SATIATED.
The following two clips are trailers for Mama I Will Die For you and Alice My First lady. To call them visually assaultive and incoherent feels lazy. I heavily considered the possibility that someone had slipped acid into my afternoon tea or I was having a psychosomatic breakdown.
It seems the people who cut commercials for Truck Rallies or the crazy Used Car salesmen spots where everything must go had a hand in the making of these trailers. That being said I'd still rather watch either of these over half of what is currently playing in my local cineplex.
Caution: I do not recommend watching both trailers back to back as the experinece is somewhat exhausting. Also, It is now one of my goals in life to appear and/or participate in the making of a Nollywood feature.

So a little further investigation into Nollywood finds some similarities to our very own Hollywood. Here is Hassanat Akinwande, a popular actress who started her career in the 80's and has appeared in over 50 titles. However, in 2006 she was arrested for cocaine possession. Just like our stars! Here's hoping she beat those charges.

I felt the earth move under my feet

2008-07-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had my first earthquake! I feel like a true Angelino. I may never leave now.

Proud Mary Keep on Burning

2008-07-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

When I was in middle school I was pee shy. I would get nervous when using a urinal with people around and I really wanted to conquor my fear as I felt like it would be another step towards becoming an adult. Then I saw What's Love Got To Do With It? the Tina Turner biopic and I remember there was a scene that really affected me. Towards the end of the film there is a part where Tina having embraced Buddhism explains to her friend the mini temple she has set up and the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo which she describes as chanting to find peace of mind, calmness, serentiy, blah blah blah. So, of course, being the absorbant sponge that most 12 year olds are, I decided to practice a little Buddhism the next day after a few too many capri suns. Low and behold, it worked. From that day on I have been able to pee next to someone, often with zero inhibition. Perhaps sometimes, I'm a little overzealous in my desire to pee next to you. What I really want to say is, thank you Angela Bassett.

It will be 1982 forever

2008-07-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Everytime I think the current music trends are escaping from the late 70's early 80's post punk dance sound I usually stumble upon some undicovered [at least for myself] band from that era who help explain a lot of the current faddish bands and sounds.

Did everthing happen in 1982? It seems this entire decade in terms of indie rock is indebted to this magical year/era. I guess it could be worse. This is quite enjoyable but the modern day filtered down versions; Vampire Weekend, Hercules and Love Affair, not so much. Bring on the 90's!

American Obsession with Teen Pregnancy Continues

2008-07-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

From Zap2it.com: Despite ho-hum reviews, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" drew in a record number of viewers to ABC Family. Tuesday night's (July 1) debut of the teen pregnancy drama by "7th Heaven" creator Brenda Hampton was the network's most-watched original series premiere ever [for the channel]
Apparently the series creator Brenda Hampton has gone on record saying that she has nothing to say about teen pregnancy. She is just creating a character who happens to get pregnant and is in high school. Hmmmm, this from the creator of 7th Heaven, a family melodrama that was known for its blatant Christian moralizing. Isn't lying through your teeth a big no no for the Jesus believers?
Anyway, I thought I'd call attention to the O.G. baby keepin' anthem since we're on the subject and all. Madonna's Papa Don't Preach! Apparently the video was met with serious controversy because she was accused of "glamorizing" teen pregnancy! Ha! If those accusers saw Juno or Secret Life now, they'd probably seizure in abject horror. The music video in comparison to those delightfully light comedic confections comes across like a stark neo realist cinematic entry from the early 60's a la Pasolini's Mamma Roma. Anyhow, the video boasts some classy production values i.e. Danny Aiello as her father! Maybe they can turn this music video into a series for the PAX channel. Do they do that now? Remake/reimagine music videos? If not, they should. I know I'd love to see Everybody Hurts: The Movie.

Happy Birthday America!

2008-07-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

This makes me feel patriotic [no sound because Prince is a lame control freak]

God Bless America!

Musical Therapy

2008-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

I know I post a LOT of music videos but as Tolstoy once wrote, "Music is the shorthand of emotion." And I'm a lazy blogger so why write something poignant when you can piggyback. Anyhow this song makes me so happy and is a classic waiting to be rediscovered. When the girls go joyriding in the camaro coupled with Kim Deal's psychedelic vocals I am filled with glee. I like to imagine the girls stopped at the AMPM for some slurpees before they hit up the club.

Also these next two are for my friend Hassan who is having job troubles in London. Nothing brings me out of the darkest funk like a solid mid ninties R&B jam.

The Ineffable Sadness of Nell Carter

2008-06-24T17:55:00.001-07:00

While at work my friend sent me a link containing the large, jolly and always sassy Nell Carter. Now, she's one of those celebrities of whom I have no recollection of how or from what I know her but her presence is strong, coming somewhere from the muddy memories of my childhood. So being the inquisitive soul that I am I decided to wikipeida her ass. When I read her life story dictated in the brutally truncated style that is Wikipedia it seemed the sort of tale that could only spring from the darkest recesses of Chekhov's mind.

Born Nell Ruth Hardy to Horace and Edna Mae Hardy in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, Carter, who was one of nine children, overcame adversity and hardships before finding success as an actress. Her father, Horace, died in an accident with a power line. She was raped at age 16 and became pregnant from the attack, giving birth to a daughter, Tracy.

She attempted suicide in the early 1980s, and entered a drug detoxification facility around 1985. Her brother, Bernard, died of AIDS in 1989.

Carter had three children: a daughter Tracy and two sons Daniel and Joshua. She adopted both her sons as newborns over a four month period. She attempted to adopt twice more but both adoptions fell through. In one case she brought home a child, Mary, but the birth parents demanded money before they would sign the adoption papers. In her final attempt, she allowed a young pregnant woman to move into her house with the plan to adopt the child but the mother decided to parent her child.

In 1992, she had surgery to remove aneurysms. She had divorced Krynicki and married Roger Larocque that same year. In 1993 she divorced Larocque. She declared bankruptcy in 1995 (and again in 2002). She also endured three miscarriages.

Appearing emotional and tearful on an episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show, Carter explained how she went to a Liza Minnelli concert during a very turbulent time of her life. Carter told Raphael how Minnelli, seeing Carter in an agonized state, ran offstage to tell her sister, Lorna Luft, to go out and take Carter backstage so that she could get some help. Minnelli and Luft helped get Carter into rehab for her cocaine problems which she conquered. [ Okay i have to interject, um, this paragraph contains Sally Jessey, Lisa Minelli, Nell Carter and cocaine. Its obvious this jewel of information was contributed by a gay man]

In the mid 1990s, Carter appeared on Broadway in a revival of Annie as Miss Hannigan. She was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis, who is white, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter was later replaced by Sally Struthers.

Carter died from heart disease complicated by diabetes and obesity on January 23, 2003. She was 54 years old. Carter had previously declared bankruptcy and owed $1.1 million in back taxes, and was later discovered to have barely $200 in her bank account. She is survived by her two sons (Joshua and Daniel), a daughter (Tracy), and her partner Ann Kaser. Her bisexuality and relationship with Kaser did not become public knowledge until after her death.

The story of a successful hard partying bisexual black entertainer plagued with addiction and sadness sounds like some ripe biopic material. Nell, if I could... I would... give you a break.

Feb 8, 2001

2008-06-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from Michael Stipe's recent interview with Attitude magazine:

"The whole vagueness around your sexuality in the past puts me in mind of Morrissey.

He plays with it. He’s very English in that he’s actually taken that and turned it into an art form. It’s all part of who he is. It’s funny and catty and sweet. That’s what I want form Morrissey.

Are you still mates?

A friend of mine shot him yesterday actually (Wolfgang Tillmans) but I don’t see him much these days. The last time I saw him I took him to dinner in LA. I brought a whole load of people with me to tell him that we really wanted him to make a record.

Who came?

Courtney Love, Fran from Travis was in town so he came down. A whole bunch really.

I can’t imagine Courtney and Morrissey together. How did that go?

It was funny, the two of them. Courtney’s Courtney."

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! In the name of journalism I googled the internet for secondary sources...

Running around Los Angeles the other day I stopped to get a bite at The Cat and Fiddle, a small restaurant off of Hollywood Blvd. As the host led me through the restaurant to be seated who should I see but Morrissey dining with two others. As I got closer I realized who he was seated with. It was none other than Courtney Love and Michael Stipe. As I walked by I said "good afternoon" to which they all replied "good afternoon".

HEAD HAS OFFICIALLY EXPLODED.

As to the title of the epic erotic novel that I am now destined to write....

"Murmers of Killing Uncle"
" The Last of The International Green Adventures in High Fi"
"Nightswimming November Monsters"

Decisions, decisions.

Don't worry, Courtney will play a vital role in the book.

Music Videos!

2008-05-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Switzerland's entry for Eurovision last year

This one's for Arnold

I've written about the best music video in the history of all time, now its time for the worst

I Need to Read this ASAP

2008-05-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

Plot Synopsis: The main character, Arthur, is asked to pick up a bird for Thanksgiving dinner, so he brings home a 266-pound chicken named Henrietta. The family welcome her with open arms, but the neighbors are not so sure and then Henrietta escapes.

Intriguing! no?