...Bill Hicks, with his message of love. No need to thank me.
What a gifted, cursed man.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
A question for the ladies
Look at this photo of "supermodel" Alessandra Ambrosio. Specifically, look at her feet.
She can't be comfortable...
She can't be comfortable...
Irony or something like it
At the beginning of this television season, I would've said my favorite show was "Life." Now it's almost time for midseason, and my favorite show is "Terminator."
Irony, or something like it.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Last remaining Bush supporters continue to become parodies of themselves
But, wow, it's rarely that blatant.
Dear god, no
Paris Hilton wants to play Tinkerbell - not her pet Chihuahua, but the famed fairy from "Peter Pan." A source tells us the celebutard is lobbying for the title role in Disney's live-action version of "Tinkerbell," in which the pixie finally gets a chance at life as a real girl.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Y'know...
...I'm used to laughing when I watch Jon Stewart. Whether he's (quite rightly) dubbing Robert Novak "Douchebag of Liberty," doing a commentary or other piece.
One of the many reasons why I love the man is because he expresses the frustration that you and I and many others feel. But he does it without losing his sense of humor, as you and I would.
So yeah, I'm used to laughing.
I'm not used to having my mouth drop open in literal, actual, I'm-not-kidding-around-here horror as it did last night.
Shudder.
And she calls him "Big Daddy"...
One of the many reasons why I love the man is because he expresses the frustration that you and I and many others feel. But he does it without losing his sense of humor, as you and I would.
So yeah, I'm used to laughing.
I'm not used to having my mouth drop open in literal, actual, I'm-not-kidding-around-here horror as it did last night.
Shudder.
And she calls him "Big Daddy"...
Good news!
According to straight male conservative pundit and expert on lesbians Bill Kristol, we have won the war in Iraq!
Isn't it about time somebody hit him in the face with a pie again?
Isn't it about time somebody hit him in the face with a pie again?
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Headlines that should have been rephrased.
Clinton Will Not Seek Wife's Seat
C'mon. Bob Clark (bless his soul and all that) could write the punchline to this joke.
Whereas...
I've been keeping one eye (get it?) on this "reality" TV show, Scream Queens wherein:
Now, by "break-out role," I'm assuming they mean the girl who wins will be in a trap (in the movie) that requires her to break her jaw or something to get out. Saw being Saw. Still:
I imagine I'm alone in this (or at least nearly so), especially as the series has progressed. But I stand stubbornly by my belief that the Saw series requires a better class of actor than the wriggling asses and pretty faces (male and female) that make up your Texas Chainsaw Massascream 3's.
Tobin Bell is the most obvious example, and Costas Mandylor is IMO underrated. But of course, they're both men.
Representing the opposite sex, I think that Beverley Mitchell did a nice job with her small, supporting role in Saw II.
But most prominently,
we have Shawnee Smith, who is sexy indeed (clock her one unbilled scene in Leaving Las Vegas) but also very much "in the moment" as an actor.
(That's her below. And also, come to think of it, by Mitchell's side above.)
Smith acted in the first three Saw films and she's now one of the three hosts of Scream Queens. This brings up one reason why I’m only keeping one eye on the series.
The young actresses all seem to be taking the "break-out" part of this hype terribly seriously, as though it's just Saw VI and then next stop, romantic comedies opposite Vince Vaughn.
You want to say to them (I do, anyway): Guys, Shawnee Smith was in on the ground floor of Saw. Her character actually had an--whatchamacallit--emotional arc.
And what's more, even before that she had a career going back to the '80s. Her first role in a movie was in the 1982 adaptation of Annie, and she was also in Summer School and the Blob remake.
In the latter, BTW, she was an admitted inspiration for Joss Whedon when he was creating Buffy. And she's appeared on several television shows. Now she's one of three hosts of Scream Queens.
What I'm saying is: I don't think this is necessarily going to be the boost to your career that you imagine.
Another reason I've yet to be able to get though an entire episode without occasionally flipping away: You're familiar with my "actors shouldn't talk" rule?
Picture a show that is virtually nothing but actors talking. Talking about each other (with the long knives out) & about themselves. Actors who may not necessarily be all that bright. Not that it's a requirement, but, well, one of them--I won't say who--has an Official Web Site with the word "Official" misspelled.
Interspersed only with chances to emote! -either in I-want-attention-getting emotional outbursts (at least one or two of them are not so much Scream Queens as drama queens) or in acting "challenges."
James Lipton would blow his brains out after more than half an hour of this.
The third reason is summed up by the fact that I put "reality" in quotes when discussing "reality" TV shows. They're not reality.
So anyway, why am I telling you all of this? I'm telling you all of this because next week is the "big" final episode and I feel like declaring my colors.
Of the women remaining, Michelle Galdenzi is gorgeous, but I've just seen nothing else really compelling about her.
Plus, she's a Ren Fest chick, and such behavior should not be rewarded.
Tanedra...well, I'm just not seeing the talent. And again--maybe I stand alone in this, but I happen to think being in a Saw film requires talent (at least some).
So I'm team Lindsay (Felton). I like the look of her:
But it's not just infatuation...more importantly, I think she's shown the most talent.
I also like that when the girls got a scare in last night's episode, Lindsay didn't even spill her wine. Now that's my kind of woman.
actresses...willvie for an unprecedented prize -- a break-out role in "Saw VI" from Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures.
Now, by "break-out role," I'm assuming they mean the girl who wins will be in a trap (in the movie) that requires her to break her jaw or something to get out. Saw being Saw. Still:
I imagine I'm alone in this (or at least nearly so), especially as the series has progressed. But I stand stubbornly by my belief that the Saw series requires a better class of actor than the wriggling asses and pretty faces (male and female) that make up your Texas Chainsaw Massascream 3's.
Tobin Bell is the most obvious example, and Costas Mandylor is IMO underrated. But of course, they're both men.
Representing the opposite sex, I think that Beverley Mitchell did a nice job with her small, supporting role in Saw II.
But most prominently,
we have Shawnee Smith, who is sexy indeed (clock her one unbilled scene in Leaving Las Vegas) but also very much "in the moment" as an actor.(That's her below. And also, come to think of it, by Mitchell's side above.)
Smith acted in the first three Saw films and she's now one of the three hosts of Scream Queens. This brings up one reason why I’m only keeping one eye on the series.
The young actresses all seem to be taking the "break-out" part of this hype terribly seriously, as though it's just Saw VI and then next stop, romantic comedies opposite Vince Vaughn.
You want to say to them (I do, anyway): Guys, Shawnee Smith was in on the ground floor of Saw. Her character actually had an--whatchamacallit--emotional arc.
And what's more, even before that she had a career going back to the '80s. Her first role in a movie was in the 1982 adaptation of Annie, and she was also in Summer School and the Blob remake.
In the latter, BTW, she was an admitted inspiration for Joss Whedon when he was creating Buffy. And she's appeared on several television shows. Now she's one of three hosts of Scream Queens.
What I'm saying is: I don't think this is necessarily going to be the boost to your career that you imagine.
Another reason I've yet to be able to get though an entire episode without occasionally flipping away: You're familiar with my "actors shouldn't talk" rule?
Picture a show that is virtually nothing but actors talking. Talking about each other (with the long knives out) & about themselves. Actors who may not necessarily be all that bright. Not that it's a requirement, but, well, one of them--I won't say who--has an Official Web Site with the word "Official" misspelled.
Interspersed only with chances to emote! -either in I-want-attention-getting emotional outbursts (at least one or two of them are not so much Scream Queens as drama queens) or in acting "challenges."
James Lipton would blow his brains out after more than half an hour of this.
The third reason is summed up by the fact that I put "reality" in quotes when discussing "reality" TV shows. They're not reality.
So anyway, why am I telling you all of this? I'm telling you all of this because next week is the "big" final episode and I feel like declaring my colors.
Of the women remaining, Michelle Galdenzi is gorgeous, but I've just seen nothing else really compelling about her.
Plus, she's a Ren Fest chick, and such behavior should not be rewarded.Tanedra...well, I'm just not seeing the talent. And again--maybe I stand alone in this, but I happen to think being in a Saw film requires talent (at least some).
So I'm team Lindsay (Felton). I like the look of her:
But it's not just infatuation...more importantly, I think she's shown the most talent.
I also like that when the girls got a scare in last night's episode, Lindsay didn't even spill her wine. Now that's my kind of woman.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Anyone Who Had A Heart
As most of you know by now, sometimes I find some of the best things in quasi-random Google searches. Most recent example: Shelby Lynne. I didn't really know very much about her, but searching her website, I find that...
...and that she played the role of Johnny Cash's mother in "Walk The Line," which I saw and rated highly, but I don't remember her specifically. Maybe I'll rent it and watch it again.
Anyway, Lynne's singing sounds like a soul-country hybrid, and her latest album is a tribute to Dusty Springfield. You can hear samples of it at her website linked above; her myspace page. Or here, watch this. She's dangerously, frighteningly good:
"I Am Shelby Lynne" — an album embraced by rock and country audiences alike — snagged her a Best New Artist Grammy. It was her sixth album, but Grammy rules are funny like that.
...and that she played the role of Johnny Cash's mother in "Walk The Line," which I saw and rated highly, but I don't remember her specifically. Maybe I'll rent it and watch it again.
Anyway, Lynne's singing sounds like a soul-country hybrid, and her latest album is a tribute to Dusty Springfield. You can hear samples of it at her website linked above; her myspace page. Or here, watch this. She's dangerously, frighteningly good:
Seattle Proposition 8 protest
Remember what I posted about
Just thought I'd back that up...
"One of the little perks for us straight boy allies and the lesbians in the crowd?"
Just thought I'd back that up...
Briefly noted as a revelation of absolutely no curiosity whatsoever
/ˌkyʊəriˈɒsɪti/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kyoor-ee-os-i-tee]
2. a curious, rare, or novel thing.
The Bush White House was warned about the looming financial crisis, but chose not to pay attention.
Is it wrong that I'd kinda like to see Bush and about a dozen of his staff vs. my man Jigsaw?
Do you ever get the feeling that the Pentagon is being run by Phil Hartman's character from the Sgt. Bilko movie? (ETA additional excerpt)
...which is a very funny film, BTW. But this ain't so much.
A man called "Matthew Alexander" (a pseudonym) is having a book published about his experiences as an army interrogator. He's also written an article for the Washington Post:
But what really made me think that Hartman's Major Thorn was in charge is what "Alexander" says about the-
-which the Army tried to redact before permitting the book to be published.
If memory serves--and it does--this is very similar to what the CIA did to the gorgeous Valerie Plame Wilson when her book was written. (Her book is also important and fascinating, BTW--I don't mean to suggest she's only gorgeous.)
Back to "Alexander:"
A man called "Matthew Alexander" (a pseudonym) is having a book published about his experiences as an army interrogator. He's also written an article for the Washington Post:
I'm not some ivory-tower type; I served for 14 years in the U.S. Air Force, began my career as a Special Operations pilot flying helicopters, saw combat in Bosnia and Kosovo, became an Air Force counterintelligence agent, then volunteered to go to Iraq to work as a senior interrogator. What I saw in Iraq still rattles me -- both because it betrays our traditions and because it just doesn't work.
But what really made me think that Hartman's Major Thorn was in charge is what "Alexander" says about the-
extraordinary amount of unclassified material -- including passages copied verbatim from the Army's unclassified Field Manual on interrogations and material vibrantly displayed on the Army's own Web site.
-which the Army tried to redact before permitting the book to be published.
If memory serves--and it does--this is very similar to what the CIA did to the gorgeous Valerie Plame Wilson when her book was written. (Her book is also important and fascinating, BTW--I don't mean to suggest she's only gorgeous.)
Back to "Alexander:"
I sued, first to get the review completed and later to appeal the redactions. Apparently, some members of the military command are not only unconvinced by the arguments against torture; they don't even want the public to hear them.
We're told that our only options are to persist in carrying out torture or to face another terrorist attack. But there truly is a better way to carry out interrogations -- and a way to get out of this false choice between torture and terror.
I repeat: Watch this series.
(8PM on FOX, “A” Channel in Canada)
Rumor Alert: Summer Glau loses all of her clothes in an action-packed shoot-out (And yes, we’re not above making stuff up to get you people to tune into this show!)
-The TV Addict
A choice of replies.
In an interview with the conservative online publication Newsmax, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the GOP must broaden its appeal to avoid becoming “the old white-guy party,” and recommended that Republicans create a “shadow government” to work on its own agenda.
-Think Progress
1. Ok, quick hands up: Who here thinks the GOP is going to be listening to any Bushes ever again for at least another eight years?
2. Isn't that what some used to call...um I dunno what is the phrase...oh yes: Treason?
Cecile Richards has an entry in the Huffington Post this morning.
Richards is president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
As most of you know, I'm a little wary of Sen. Clinton becoming our next secretary of state. I don't oppose it per se (I mean, it's not like she was Dick Cheney)...I'm just a little wary. Suspicious, you might say.
Ok, so I once said I thought she had vinegar for blood, and I hated some of the things she got up to when running against Obama. But I digress. Richards argues that this (Clinton's nomination) is a good thing; I think she makes some good points.
I'm still not 100% convinced yet, but I'm willing to give Clinton a chance.
Especially since Rush Limbaugh has endorsed her. The only reason I can think of why he'd do that, is to make liberal Democrats like myself wary and suspicious of our president's selection process.
I refuse to give him the pleasure.
As most of you know, I'm a little wary of Sen. Clinton becoming our next secretary of state. I don't oppose it per se (I mean, it's not like she was Dick Cheney)...I'm just a little wary. Suspicious, you might say.
Ok, so I once said I thought she had vinegar for blood, and I hated some of the things she got up to when running against Obama. But I digress. Richards argues that this (Clinton's nomination) is a good thing; I think she makes some good points.
I'm still not 100% convinced yet, but I'm willing to give Clinton a chance.
Especially since Rush Limbaugh has endorsed her. The only reason I can think of why he'd do that, is to make liberal Democrats like myself wary and suspicious of our president's selection process.
I refuse to give him the pleasure.
For one brief shining moment, President Bush speaks for us all
Political Wire's Bonus Quote of the Day:
You and us both, Dub. You and us both.
"I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess."
-- President Bush, in an interview with ABC News,
You and us both, Dub. You and us both.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
As every single person in California says "Who cares? It's Modesto."
Via the McClatchy Washington Bureau...
Parishioners of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto have been told they should consider going to confession if they voted for Barack Obama, because of the president-elect's position condoning abortion.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Mystery impossible-to-defend-serious-failure-of-an-selected-president theatre 3000
Bush on what he wants to be remembered for:
It's hard to sell something which, if it ever existed, died a long, long time ago.
What's really sad is that this might actually be true.
"I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process," Bush said,
It's hard to sell something which, if it ever existed, died a long, long time ago.
"I came to Washington with a set of values, and I'm leaving with the same set of values. And I darn sure wasn't going to sacrifice those values...
What's really sad is that this might actually be true.
Ah, Schadenfreude!
You've come back to me!
...As one or two of you may remember, I do not like Rosie O'Donnell a whole awful lot. And by "a whole awful lot" I mean "at all." I think she's out-of-tune (and I don't mean musically--I've never heard her sing, for which I am thankful), classless, and suffers from a severe case of talent-lack.
This being the case, it will not surprise you that I found other things to do than watch her live variety special Wednesday night. This may have been a mistake.
Because if the reviews are to be believed it was not so much live as...well, there's an obvious pun to be made, but I'm going to have the good taste not to make it.
This sounds as though it may have been a bomb of historical proportions.
...As one or two of you may remember, I do not like Rosie O'Donnell a whole awful lot. And by "a whole awful lot" I mean "at all." I think she's out-of-tune (and I don't mean musically--I've never heard her sing, for which I am thankful), classless, and suffers from a severe case of talent-lack.
This being the case, it will not surprise you that I found other things to do than watch her live variety special Wednesday night. This may have been a mistake.
Because if the reviews are to be believed it was not so much live as...well, there's an obvious pun to be made, but I'm going to have the good taste not to make it.
This sounds as though it may have been a bomb of historical proportions.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Things to be thankful for, 2008 (part three of three)
The other two parts are posted in my other blogs.
As always, in no particular order:
Film and TV:
Doctor Who
Most of Babylon 5
Stranger Than Fiction.
Bender's Game. After the first two Futurama straight-to-DVD movies had my faith wavering, the third helped to restore it.
The Bond movies that I like and not the ones I don't
Monty Python!
Sideways
Jon Stewart.
Monk, which is approaching its eighth and final season.
Tron 2! That it's coming.
Gone Baby Gone
Muppets
Richard Williams' The Thief Who Never Gave Up.
Dirt. For me, the biggest casualty of the writers' strike.
Shoot 'Em Up
A Midwinter's Tale (AKA In the Bleak Midwinter)
Cave of the Yellow Dog
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Triumph the Insult Dog
Stephen Colbert
The Saw film series
Artists of the guitar and synthesizer:
David Bowie
Erasure
Colin Hay
Peter Gabriel
The Fixx
Scritti Politti
Emily Easterly
Teachers (more the soundtrack than the movie, but...)
"How Soon is Now," by The Smiths.
Howard Jones
Nik Kershaw
Oingo Boingo
Leonard Cohen
Upstairs At Eric's
Arts and entertainment:
Harlan Ellison
George Carlin
Favorite color:
Green
Buddies:
Jeopardygirl, Corey and the usual suspects.
As always, in no particular order:
Film and TV:
Doctor Who
Most of Babylon 5
Stranger Than Fiction.
Bender's Game. After the first two Futurama straight-to-DVD movies had my faith wavering, the third helped to restore it.
The Bond movies that I like and not the ones I don't
Monty Python!
Sideways
Jon Stewart.
Monk, which is approaching its eighth and final season.
Tron 2! That it's coming.
Gone Baby Gone
Muppets
Richard Williams' The Thief Who Never Gave Up.
Dirt. For me, the biggest casualty of the writers' strike.
Shoot 'Em Up
A Midwinter's Tale (AKA In the Bleak Midwinter)
Cave of the Yellow Dog
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Triumph the Insult Dog
Stephen Colbert
The Saw film series
Artists of the guitar and synthesizer:
David Bowie
Erasure
Colin Hay
Peter Gabriel
The Fixx
Scritti Politti
Emily Easterly
Teachers (more the soundtrack than the movie, but...)
"How Soon is Now," by The Smiths.
Howard Jones
Nik Kershaw
Oingo Boingo
Leonard Cohen
Upstairs At Eric's
Arts and entertainment:
Harlan Ellison
George Carlin
Favorite color:
Green
Buddies:
Jeopardygirl, Corey and the usual suspects.
Don't Watch That...Watch This
For those of you who are tired of my nudging you about watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a heads-up:
Friday Night Lights will be back on NBC on January 16, 2009.
I'm telling you this now so you have time to go out and rent the first two seasons and be all caught up when I start nudging you about watching this series.
And by the way...
Watch Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The show started out good and has only gotten better, but it's being beaten in the ratings even by Chuck. And that ain't right.
Friday Night Lights will be back on NBC on January 16, 2009.
I'm telling you this now so you have time to go out and rent the first two seasons and be all caught up when I start nudging you about watching this series.
And by the way...
Watch Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The show started out good and has only gotten better, but it's being beaten in the ratings even by Chuck. And that ain't right.
Who else you got?
The wingnut Peggy Noonan stopped on the way to her mental vacation of fantasizing about Ronald Reagan just long enough to say:
Who else you got?
PS: As the Political Wire reminds us, and as I blogged about at the time:
"I happen to think the media is up to a bit of mischief here. I think the media wants to take Sarah Palin and make her, subliminally, the face of the Republican party. They want to make her: this is what Republicans are, the face of the party, the leader of the party, because it amuses them to do that."
Who else you got?
PS: As the Political Wire reminds us, and as I blogged about at the time:
During the presidential election, Noonan was caught on a live microphone saying Sen. John McCain's pick of Palin doomed the Republican ticket.
The Beckhams were winning when I voted, which I don't understand at all.
C'mon now, we know she doesn't eat.
My favorite Celebrity poll site is asking:
I voted for The Lohans, but I'm assuming they mean Lindsay and Sam. If the rest of her family has to be there, then I'm switching my vote to the Hiltons. Yes, there's just as much a chance I'd be going to jail before the weekend was over, but there's an ever better chance I'd get to have sex.
My favorite Celebrity poll site is asking:
Which of the following celeb families would you like to spend Thanksgiving weekend with?
The Hiltons
The Lohans
The Jonases
The Spearses
The Beckhams
I voted for The Lohans, but I'm assuming they mean Lindsay and Sam. If the rest of her family has to be there, then I'm switching my vote to the Hiltons. Yes, there's just as much a chance I'd be going to jail before the weekend was over, but there's an ever better chance I'd get to have sex.
Of course not. Emotions are for human beings, and this is a monster.
A Missouri mother on trial in a landmark cyberbullying case was convicted Wednesday of three minor offenses instead of the main conspiracy charge in a cruel Internet hoax that apparently drove a 13-year-old girl to suicide.
The federal jury could not reach a verdict on the conspiracy allegation against 49-year-old Lori Drew and rejected three other felony counts of accessing computers without authorization to inflict emotional harm on the girl.
Instead, the panel convicted her of three misdemeanor offenses of accessing computers without authorization. Each of those counts is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Drew faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the four original counts.
I have only three words to say about this: It's a start.
Drew did not show any visible emotion when the clerk read the verdicts.
See post title.
I don't really know who Taylor Momsen is
Apparently she's on Gossip Girl, which I don't watch. But I do know this: Tan/pink flesh is not a good color for a lollypop.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
Bush meets with Nobel Award winners
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three 2008 Nobel laureates from the United States lined up with President George W. Bush on Monday for an Oval Office photograph to mark their achievements.
The third laureate at the White House was Paul Krugman of New York, who won the Nobel Prize in economics for his work on international trade patterns. Krugman, a frequent critic of the Bush administration who opposed the recent $700 billion financial bailout, is a Princeton University professor and New York Times columnist.
I'll bet that was a funny, funny meeting.
This. Is. Just. Wrong.
So much so, I'm not even going to stain my blog by reproducing its image. Go here...if you are of stout heart and strong disposition.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Robert Reich showing why he impresses me
If the man can write about economic issues in a way which I can understand...he's good.
Stylish.
The party of Still President Bush can run but they can't hide from the truth: They're a party that was defined by Richard Nixon's dirty tricks--and remains so. Most recent example: Accusing a man whose child was kidnapped of being "soft" on crimes committed against children.
Yes, really.
Via TPM Election Central.
Yes, really.
Via TPM Election Central.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Bill O'Reilly: Shameful? Ridiculous? Just pitiful?
Or embarassing?
Read this, watch the accompanying clip (if you can) and make the call.
Best part: At the end, when he tries to assert that, as a man, of course, he's not offended...
Of course, Bill. We all know what a man you are. What with the calling for beating up on The Dixie Chicks and all.
Read this, watch the accompanying clip (if you can) and make the call.
Best part: At the end, when he tries to assert that, as a man, of course, he's not offended...
Of course, Bill. We all know what a man you are. What with the calling for beating up on The Dixie Chicks and all.
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Via The Washington Monthly:
Judgemental kulturkampfer (look it up) Michael Medved attempts to argue that homosexuals should shut up about wanting to get married on the grounds that Elton John says he doesn't want to.
Yes, really.
Psst--Michael! Elton John is a bubblegum pop musician whom I cannot believe anybody takes seriously as a spokesman for gay rights. This is the same guy who dueted with the thug Eminem.
Don't get me wrong--he's fabulous, a stately homo of England. But if you've seen Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras, the TV documentary that his own partner made about him...you know that "rare common sense" maybe aren't the words you want to be using .
Judgemental kulturkampfer (look it up) Michael Medved attempts to argue that homosexuals should shut up about wanting to get married on the grounds that Elton John says he doesn't want to.
Yes, really.
One of the world's most prominent gay entertainers offered some rare common sense on the explosive issue of same sex marriage.
Psst--Michael! Elton John is a bubblegum pop musician whom I cannot believe anybody takes seriously as a spokesman for gay rights. This is the same guy who dueted with the thug Eminem.
Don't get me wrong--he's fabulous, a stately homo of England. But if you've seen Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras, the TV documentary that his own partner made about him...you know that "rare common sense" maybe aren't the words you want to be using .
Friday, November 21, 2008
"...the series has done a terrific job of reinventing what it means to be a terminator."
In my continuing quest to get you to watch the TV shows that I love, I'm going to point you towards this review of a recent episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today"
These are a few of my favorite things
Some things I like:
Gorgeous girls.
"Post-punk" music and '80s icons.
Idealism.
Water imagery.
Dolphins.
This is "Rush Hour" by Jane Wiedlin of The Go Go's, one of her most creatively successful solo singles. It's from the album Fur, which featured the late Rob Fisher of Naked Eyes on keyboards.
I like it.
Gorgeous girls.
"Post-punk" music and '80s icons.
Idealism.
Water imagery.
Dolphins.
This is "Rush Hour" by Jane Wiedlin of The Go Go's, one of her most creatively successful solo singles. It's from the album Fur, which featured the late Rob Fisher of Naked Eyes on keyboards.
I like it.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Is it wrong that as I look at this picture, all I can think of is the squeaks all that leather must be making?
It's Kate Hudson and dancers in rehearsals for Nine, a musical based on the Broadway hit of 20 years ago, BTW, but it looks to me like one of those "leather shop" SNL skits.
Oh, this makes me sad...and then happy
This afternoon I got one of those emails that I frequently get from music PR folks. I'm still on a lot of mailing lists from when I used to write more reviews than I do these days.
I always glance at them to see if there's anything that makes me want to "come out of retirement," but there rarely is. Today, however, was a bit of hype regarding a new duo calling themselves The Secret History.
What makes me sad is that this is how I'm finding out that My Favorite has indeed broken up. I like My Favorite. They're on my "If my Colley/Keitha/Annabel movie got made, music I wish I could use on the soundtrack" list (specifically, a song called "listening to The Black Cassette"). More about that in a minute.
Now that I think of it, they inspired part of the writing, too.
I've written about them a few times (more about that in two minutes).
So My Favorite being no more makes me sad. On the other hand, the thought of songwriter Grace collaborating with the daughter of Ronson, who helped inventor of rock and roll David Bowie do so, is at least intriguing.
So then I scroll down and I see that the lead track of their debut EP is called...“It’s Not The End of The World, Jonah.” For those of you who don't know or have forgotten...my character Colley's first name is Jonah.
I love shit like this. Here's their MySpace page if you want to hear that song and a couple others (you should).
If you scroll down that page still further, there we have quotes from the press about Grace's previous music, and we find this little pop-out paragraph:
The thing of it is...(as if you're not already way ahead of me)...I wrote that. Well, to be honest, I wrote over half of it. See, what they've done is to combine a section of my review of My Favorite's album, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, with Terry Eagan's review of an earlier EP. We were both reviewing for Ink 19.
Everything up through-
-is mine.
I know it shouldn't make me happy that my words are found worthy of exploiting for promotion...but it does. If you will allow and forgive me just one moment of self-pity...maybe because it means it has value for someone.
I always glance at them to see if there's anything that makes me want to "come out of retirement," but there rarely is. Today, however, was a bit of hype regarding a new duo calling themselves The Secret History.
The Secret History was formed in 2007 by songwriter Michael Grace Jr., best known for acclaimed cult indie pop band My Favorite.
The Secret History also features vocalist Lisa Ronson, daughter of Bowie guitarist, and glam-rock legend Mick Ronson.
What makes me sad is that this is how I'm finding out that My Favorite has indeed broken up. I like My Favorite. They're on my "If my Colley/Keitha/Annabel movie got made, music I wish I could use on the soundtrack" list (specifically, a song called "listening to The Black Cassette"). More about that in a minute.
Now that I think of it, they inspired part of the writing, too.
I've written about them a few times (more about that in two minutes).
So My Favorite being no more makes me sad. On the other hand, the thought of songwriter Grace collaborating with the daughter of Ronson, who helped inventor of rock and roll David Bowie do so, is at least intriguing.
So then I scroll down and I see that the lead track of their debut EP is called...“It’s Not The End of The World, Jonah.” For those of you who don't know or have forgotten...my character Colley's first name is Jonah.
I love shit like this. Here's their MySpace page if you want to hear that song and a couple others (you should).
If you scroll down that page still further, there we have quotes from the press about Grace's previous music, and we find this little pop-out paragraph:
This is music that matters to me. The songs have become requirements; Grace's obsessions suddenly seem to have become mine. The alien, the girl or boy "differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility," to quote Webster's. This band reflects an amalgamation, of sounds and styles while all the while retaining an awareness of the awkwardness of youth. Each single track is better than most bands' entire album
The thing of it is...(as if you're not already way ahead of me)...I wrote that. Well, to be honest, I wrote over half of it. See, what they've done is to combine a section of my review of My Favorite's album, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, with Terry Eagan's review of an earlier EP. We were both reviewing for Ink 19.
Everything up through-
The alien, the girl or boy “differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility,” to quote Webster’s.
-is mine.
I know it shouldn't make me happy that my words are found worthy of exploiting for promotion...but it does. If you will allow and forgive me just one moment of self-pity...maybe because it means it has value for someone.
The world is a strange strange strange strange strange place
Joe Lieberman is a turncoat who gets off scot-free (although, y'know...maybe he doesn't.)
Ted Stevens is being allowed to retire as if he were Gwen Verdon taking her last bow, instead of the convicted felon that he is.
Ted Stevens is being allowed to retire as if he were Gwen Verdon taking her last bow, instead of the convicted felon that he is.
If ever there was a time to, I think the expression is, "lol"...
So there's a little artificial intelligence thing called the Genderanalyzer. Which, as its name suggests, tries to see if it can tell from a page's content whether or not it's written by a man or a woman. I have three blogs, so I gave it three tries.
It got that pharmaceutical diaries and this blog are written by a guy…but it thinks dancing girls is written by a woman.
It got that pharmaceutical diaries and this blog are written by a guy…but it thinks dancing girls is written by a woman.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Now That's Entertainment
I mean, the pretzels the GOP/Fox News types will twist themselves into to avoid saying the simple truth: Such types don't believe gay people are human beings and so they don't believe they're deserving of civil rights.
Come on, GOP/Fox News types! Let your homophobia flags fly!
Because you're not fooling anyone, you know. I mean it. Not anyone.
Come on, GOP/Fox News types! Let your homophobia flags fly!
Because you're not fooling anyone, you know. I mean it. Not anyone.
To be fair, she does have all that experience under fire in Bosnia
David Corn has a good post at the Mother Jones blog on some of the many reasons why Hillary Clinton just might not be the best choice for secretary of state. I think he's right.
Whatever positives she may have for that position, I've become convinced they are dwarfed by the negatives she brings.
Whatever positives she may have for that position, I've become convinced they are dwarfed by the negatives she brings.
Let's just enjoy this headline while we can
Cheney and Gonzales indicted
Vice president Dick Cheney and former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez have been indicted by a grand jury in Southern Texas.
The indictment accuses Cheney of engaging in an organized criminal activity because of his investment in the Vanguard Group.
It claims Cheney had a conflict of interest because the group holds interests in private prison companies running federal detention centers.
A separate indictment accuses Gonzales of using his position while in office to stop an investigation into abuses at one of the privately-run prisons.
Something like justice
The latest on the Megan Meier case The judge has decided he will allow evidence of her suicide to be presented in the trial of the horrible, alleged person Lori Drew who chose to torment a child. One whom she knew had emotional problems.
Good.
Good.
The good news and the bad news
The good news is that "Life" has been given a full-season order by NBC.
The bad news is that the Donal Logue character has not yet put a shotgun beneath his smarmy chin and pulled the trigger.
In the extremely unlikely event that anyone from the series should come across this, please, for the love of god, in the name of all that is holy, kill that character. Slowly. Make sure he suffers.
Before he kills your show.
The bad news is that the Donal Logue character has not yet put a shotgun beneath his smarmy chin and pulled the trigger.
In the extremely unlikely event that anyone from the series should come across this, please, for the love of god, in the name of all that is holy, kill that character. Slowly. Make sure he suffers.
Before he kills your show.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
For those of you just joining us, Rodgers, Hart and Hammerstein are all dead
Kelly Clarkson has finished recording her fourth album and her new single is likely called “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
Weird coincidences dept.
Remember last week, when I said that Richard Schiff, Toby on West Wing, was guest starring on Terminator? Well, last night, so he did. But what's more, so did an actor named Adam Busch.
Busch played the role of Warren in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer--a character I hated but I was meant to, and anyway it wasn't his fault. He's also the longtime boyfriend of Amber Benson.
Small world.
Busch played the role of Warren in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer--a character I hated but I was meant to, and anyway it wasn't his fault. He's also the longtime boyfriend of Amber Benson.
Small world.
Monday, November 17, 2008
I remain convinced that if Hillary Clinton truly wants to advance any further in her political career...
...whether that be by working for Obama, or making another run for the White House herself in eight years...
...she really needs to have Bill boarded like a dog. Again, I suggest the Playboy mansion...
...she really needs to have Bill boarded like a dog. Again, I suggest the Playboy mansion...
god-spare us from people who think they have to save us from George Carlin
From a Washington Post story
Even in death...not even this, huh? Even the man getting this prize in this place doesn't get to have his work spoken the way he wrote it. I guess the vacuous, toffee-nosed, malodorous perverts at the Kennedy Center were worried about (the no-doubt vast) number of pre-teens whose ears might've been scalded.
(Thx Cor.)
The late George Carlin, whose sense of irony was world class, would have appreciated last night's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony at the Kennedy Center, though it's not clear which rich irony he would have liked most.
And as a comedian who made an art out of blue language ("The king of raw," Maher called him) Carlin surely would have gotten some mileage out of the fact that only three of his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" were actually spoken from the Kennedy Center stage. (Denis Leary alone accounted for three F-bombs.)
Carlin himself rematerialized in a clip to do the bit, though -- again, ironically -- the commentary on language and the absurdity of banning words was itself bleeped repeatedly by the Kennedy Center censor.
Even in death...not even this, huh? Even the man getting this prize in this place doesn't get to have his work spoken the way he wrote it. I guess the vacuous, toffee-nosed, malodorous perverts at the Kennedy Center were worried about (the no-doubt vast) number of pre-teens whose ears might've been scalded.
(Thx Cor.)
"If you're good at anticipating the human mind...it leaves nothing to chance."
For those of you who are glad to see that the talk about "Saw" has died down around here...
BTW...get this, and tell me it doesn't seem like some sort of early Christmas present for me:
So you're telling me...the next Saw movie...will be in direct competition with a film co-written by cult writer Joss Whedon...who BTW, is disgusted by so-called "torture porn"...and a film based on manga, which I'd like to see eradicated from the face of the earth.
This is gonna be good.
Lionsgate Films ... recently come out with the release date of "Saw VI". In their announcement, the studio claim to have set the sixth horror thriller movie to be released on October 23, 2009.
BTW...get this, and tell me it doesn't seem like some sort of early Christmas present for me:
"Saw VI" will have to be up against another thriller, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's "Cabin in the Woods". Beside "Cabin", there are two other movies slated to be released on the particular date, they are Hilary Swank-starring biopic "Amelia" and Japanese manga adaptation "Astro Boy".
So you're telling me...the next Saw movie...will be in direct competition with a film co-written by cult writer Joss Whedon...who BTW, is disgusted by so-called "torture porn"...and a film based on manga, which I'd like to see eradicated from the face of the earth.
This is gonna be good.
When your Karma runs over your dogma
"Focus on Family," Dobson's religious group that screwed the gays, anounces a round of layoffs.
Oh, brilliant
The first two minutes of this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, titled..."The Next Doctor." It made me smile and laugh...
I suppose I should be happy about this
This blog is currently the number-one answer if you do an Ask.com Blogsearch for the words, "Eva Amurri tits."
Imagine my pride.
Imagine my pride.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Lines from the Stephen Colbert roast
Via E&P Pub:
and Huffington Post.
Rahm Emanuel: Mary Matalin is scared of Stephen, and she's seen Carville naked! ... We're frightened of Colbert, but we know that deep down, underneath the Republican character you see on TV, there's still a good man, there's still hope for him. It's the same way we feel about Joe Lieberman."
and Huffington Post.
From Stephen Colbert's speech:
"Dana Perino is here, what an honor to be roasted by the spokesman for the president. Dana Perino, wonderful to see you. I always knew Scott McClellan would hatch into something beautiful.
Finally...an excuse to say "Make your choice," and not be talking about the Saw films.
Democracy for America has a "guess who Barack Obama will pick for his cabinet" game.
It's times like this I wish Hillary Clinton had kicked ass
"I showed her the closets. I showed her all the things that women are interested in."
-- First Lady Laura Bush, in an interview on CNN, on what she showed Michelle Obama during her visit of the White House.
Via The Political Wire.
Some feelings and pics from the Seattle anti-prop 8 march today
Yes, I was there, but for the record I didn't take any of these pictures (no camera). I scooped these up from various and sundry sources, which I will identify.
Reportedly the current police estimate is that there were 6,000 of us, but many who were there think it was larger. I'm terrible at estimating numbers, so I won't try.
All I know is that when it was over I was so tired I didn't know which way was up--and maybe I still don't--but I felt good.
Here's a blog post from one of our local weeklies, The Stranger, which is also where I found this picture:
These next two are by JeanineAnderson:
One of the little perks for us straight boy allies and the lesbians in the crowd--a naked lady on the balcony of a high-rise. I did wonder whether she was being supportive, just an exhibitionist, or both...but why pick?
These were taken by AJ.
(Often quite literally...)
A lot of things at the event made me smile; this was one of them.
Reportedly the current police estimate is that there were 6,000 of us, but many who were there think it was larger. I'm terrible at estimating numbers, so I won't try.
All I know is that when it was over I was so tired I didn't know which way was up--and maybe I still don't--but I felt good.
Here's a blog post from one of our local weeklies, The Stranger, which is also where I found this picture:
These next two are by JeanineAnderson:
One of the little perks for us straight boy allies and the lesbians in the crowd--a naked lady on the balcony of a high-rise. I did wonder whether she was being supportive, just an exhibitionist, or both...but why pick?
These were taken by AJ.
(Often quite literally...)
A lot of things at the event made me smile; this was one of them.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
It is increasingly difficult for me to believe that I ever found Dennis Miller funny
And I did, I remember distinctly. But in the last few years...
It's not just that he decided to work for the Bush dog-and-pony show. It's that around the same time he did, his jokes started to sound like they were being written for him by high school bullies.
But this is one of the saddest things I've ever seen.
Watch this clip if you can brace yourself to stand five minutes-plus of Bill O'Reilly talking to Miller. Because in this case, it's not only what he says--which written down looks like just the same old tired mean spirit he now passes off as comedy.
But it's also the way he says it. Watch this and tell me if at some moment you don't get the feeling you're watching a man who is literally out of his head.
Whether or not that's from drink and/or drugs or just his mind snapping from the sheer weight of his stupidity is not for me to say.
But it's really, so sad. And also kinda scary.
It's not just that he decided to work for the Bush dog-and-pony show. It's that around the same time he did, his jokes started to sound like they were being written for him by high school bullies.
But this is one of the saddest things I've ever seen.
Watch this clip if you can brace yourself to stand five minutes-plus of Bill O'Reilly talking to Miller. Because in this case, it's not only what he says--which written down looks like just the same old tired mean spirit he now passes off as comedy.
But it's also the way he says it. Watch this and tell me if at some moment you don't get the feeling you're watching a man who is literally out of his head.
Whether or not that's from drink and/or drugs or just his mind snapping from the sheer weight of his stupidity is not for me to say.
But it's really, so sad. And also kinda scary.
How Obama keeps so trim, and other interesting facts
From "Fifty things you might not know about Barack Obama" in the UK Telegraph:
Thank you, Corey.
He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father
• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali
• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream
• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead
• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs
• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name
• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.
• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees
• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date
• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker
• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire
Thank you, Corey.
Well said, George!
George Clooney on civil rights:
"At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black."
ETA this related matter...
Shut up!
A homophobic artistic director of California Musical Theatre?
Well, you've gotta respect him for taking such an unpopular position...no you don't.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The all-star connections continue
Talking Points says...
Roll Call says Biden's picking Ron Klain to be his Veep Chief of Staff.
For those interested in cinematic trivia, Klain was the guy Kevin Spacey played in HBO's Recount.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Speaking of the importance of keeping your sense of humor...(EDITED WITH ADDITION)
...the right-wing Powerline demonstrates neatly why it's impossible to take anything they say seriously...
For another opinion, I'm going to consult with an expert on the scrutinization of words...
ETA: And for further reflections on Bush's skill as a public speaker, let's ask...George W. Bush.
Not all that hotly, really...do the words "downward spiral" mean anything to you?
Obama thinks he is a good talker, but he is often undisciplined when he speaks. He needs to understand that as President, his words will be scrutinized and will have impact whether he intends it or not. In this regard, President Bush is an excellent model; Obama should take a lesson from his example. Bush never gets sloppy when he is speaking publicly. He chooses his words with care and precision, which is why his style sometimes seems halting. In the eight years he has been President, it is remarkable how few gaffes or verbal blunders he has committed. If Obama doesn't raise his standards, he will exceed Bush's total before he is inaugurated.
For another opinion, I'm going to consult with an expert on the scrutinization of words...
"This guy was a hack! He had a captive audience! And the way I know that is that I tried to tunnel out of there several times. He had an audience and he didn't know what to do with it."
"Words, when spoken out loud for the sake of performance, are music. They have rhythm, and pitch, and timbre, and volume. These are the properties of music, and music has the ability to find us and move us, and lift us up in ways that literal meanings can't."
"You are an oratorical snob."
"Yes I am and God loves me for it."
ETA: And for further reflections on Bush's skill as a public speaker, let's ask...George W. Bush.
"I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said," Bush told CNN's Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president. "Like 'dead or alive' and 'bring 'em on.' My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say."
"They had a sign that said 'Mission Accomplished.' It was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship, but it conveyed a broader knowledge. To some it said, well, Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over, when I didn't think that. But nonetheless, it conveyed the wrong message."
The president, whose legacy is sure to be hotly debated for decades...
Not all that hotly, really...do the words "downward spiral" mean anything to you?
Gallup Poll Daily tracking results indicate only 27 percent of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing as president
Everything that rises must converge
Richard Schiff, Toby on West Wing, is guest starring on Terminator next week.
John McCain puts his conscience back to sleep
From Political Wire:
Historical Quote of the Day
"I'd never seen anything like that ad. Putting pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden next to the picture of a man who left three limbs on the battlefield -- it's worse than disgraceful. It's reprehensible."
-- Sen. John McCain, quoted by CNN, on the campaign ads used by Saxby Chambliss (R) against Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) in the 2002 U.S. Senate race.
McCain is now scheduled to campaign for Chambliss in his Georgia run off against Jim Martin (D).
Aw, shit. You pissy fucking cunt cocksucker motherfucking tits.
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Monday, November 10, 2008
You've got to laugh, haven't you?
Who CBS News (!) thought of hiring for sober, right-wing commentary:
And that's not even all...
Robert Novak
Kate O’Beirne
Tucker Carlson
Pat Buchanan
Matt Drudge
Fred Barnes
William Kristol
John Podhoretz
Bernard Goldberg
Ann Coulter
Andrew Sullivan
Christopher Hitchens
Elliot Abrams
Charles Krauthammer
William Bennett
Rush Limbaugh
And that's not even all...
I don't understand this.
Remember the Megan Meier case? If not, I'll remind you. Meir was the 13-year-old girl who committed suicide last year after receiving taunting MySpace messages by someone who she thought to be (and had represented themselves as) peers. Turned out, it wasn't her peers, it was her adult neighbors.
A lot of people were outraged about this, me being one of them. It's sometimes referred to as "the internet suicide case" or likewise, but to me, the key was never the tools used, it was that grown human beings--let me rephrase that...
Grown up creatures had nothing better to do with their time than to band together and try to hurt a little girl. There's a trial going on for one of those creatures right now, and the judge in same...
Emphasis mine.
I don't understand this.
(again, emphasis mine)
A lot of people were outraged about this, me being one of them. It's sometimes referred to as "the internet suicide case" or likewise, but to me, the key was never the tools used, it was that grown human beings--let me rephrase that...
Grown up creatures had nothing better to do with their time than to band together and try to hurt a little girl. There's a trial going on for one of those creatures right now, and the judge in same...
U.S. District Judge George H. Wu told attorneys he was leaning toward excluding the evidence [of the suicide] from the trial of Lori Drew, who is accused of using a fictitious profile on the social networking site to drive Megan Meier, her daughter's former friend, to hang herself.
Emphasis mine.
"I don't necessarily think the suicide is relevant to the crime charged," Wu said, adding he thought details of Meier's death would unfairly prejudice the jury.
I don't understand this.
(again, emphasis mine)
What a strange place to find comfort
Leigh Whannell wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to the first three Saw films, as well as appearing in the first and third. I found these quotes in this story about him.
‘‘You don't need permission to write, I could just grab a notepad and pen and start writing. Whereas if I wanna act, there are so many doors I have to get through. I have to get an agent, they have to send me to an audition, I have to get that role ...
‘‘At the end of the day, you're doing all that for what? So you can be in a film that you wouldn't even pay to see. You're like ‘Yes! I got the role! I will be appearing in ... Cheaper By the Dozen 3'.
‘‘The path of least resistance is to write a film that you like, even if no one else likes it, at least you're responsible for the quality...
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Linked columns
I read these in the Sunday edition of The Seattle Times today, and thought them worth passing on.
First: Leonard Pitts, Jr, with a column that might be titled (if the professional twat David Cross hadn't co-opted this phrase), "The Pride Is Back."
Excerpts:
Next, Gregory Turner responds, as a retired clergymam and teacher of theology, to the banning of gay marriage. He says:
Read 'em.
First: Leonard Pitts, Jr, with a column that might be titled (if the professional twat David Cross hadn't co-opted this phrase), "The Pride Is Back."
Excerpts:
It would be a sin against our generations, against slaves and freedmen, against housemen and washerwomen, against porters and domestics, against charred bodies hanging in Southern trees, not to be still and acknowledge that something has happened here, and it is sacred and profound.
There was something bittersweet in watching Michelle Obama lectured on American pride this year, in seeing African Americans asked to prove their American-ness when our ancestors were in this country before this country was. There was something in it that was hard to take, knowing that we have loved America when America did not love us, defended America when it would not defend us, believed in American ideals that were larger than skies, yet never large enough to include us.
Next, Gregory Turner responds, as a retired clergymam and teacher of theology, to the banning of gay marriage. He says:
With Jesus it is always the walk of love and justice that marks a faithful person. He reserved his strongest words of judgment for those who used religious moralism to undermine faithful understanding and action. The invocation of moral codes and their intimidating use against the more vulnerable of God's people undermines moral principle and perverts the intention of Christ.
Read 'em.
And asking myself the question: Am I really seeing what I pray I'm seeing?
Candy Flip (the name allegedly refers to taking LSD*) were a one-or-two hit wonder of the British electronic dance band/"madchester" wave of the early '90s.
This (the song that follows) was not one of their bigger hits. But watching the interview with Obama's closest advisors on 60 Minutes this evening, I began to think of it.
*I wouldn't know as I've never taken acid.
This (the song that follows) was not one of their bigger hits. But watching the interview with Obama's closest advisors on 60 Minutes this evening, I began to think of it.
*I wouldn't know as I've never taken acid.
Sweet!
The Horton the Elephant float is flight tested at Balloonfest, in New York on Saturday Nov. 8, 2008. Three new balloons were inflated and soared aloft ahead of their upcoming debut at the 82nd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
(AP Photo/Rick Maiman)
See the whole board
Illustration by John Cuneo
(FYI, the reference in the post title is to this episode of The West Wing.)
Here's a story by Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker on the process of the Obama campaign.
It's somewhat densely written, but the revelations contained are well worth taking the time when you have a few minutes to concentrate.
Here are some excerpts.
[speechwriter] Jon Favreau...told me, “People had come [to this campaign] from places where they were probably disappointed in politics.
Obama’s confidence filtered down through the campaign and gave comfort to his staff during the bleaker moments of 2008, such as when Obama learned that he had lost the New Hampshire primary...Favreau said, “His demeanor when he won the Iowa caucuses and his demeanor when he lost New Hampshire were not much different.”
To Obama’s aides, the most important moment of the campaign occurred when Obama had to actually be President...Michelle Obama once talked to me about the doubts that would need to be addressed before people could vote for her husband. “It is a leap of faith,” she said finally. “We talk about it all the time. It is a leap of faith.”
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