Sunday, October 29, 2006

movie minute

Tales Of The Bus: Creamy, the maitre d'; the sex, not bombs, room; and some serious sex are all things to be found in the movie Shortbus. The title, which is meant to signify "special and gifted people" (like the ones that ride real shortbuses) means here the "special and gifted people" in the movie. Those words could be changed to freaks or deviants by less than enlightened people just as the people who ride the real shortbuses could be labeled handicapped or mentally challenged. James and Jamie are a homosexual couple who want to open up their relationship; Sofia is a couples counselor (don't use the term sex therapist) who is married to Rob but he can't give her the one thing she's never had: an orgasm; Severin is a dominatrix who just wants to have a genuine relationship (with feeling) with someone. The whole movie deals with the issue of sex and the hang-ups and blocks we have when it comes to the subject. In our culture, sex is the one thing that polarizes us more than anything else. We can watch a violent movie laden with vulgarity and not blink an eye but give us a movie about sex and we get all a-twitter and even angry and defensive. Why? Sex is supposed to be a natural and liberating thing and as everyone does it (or should, anyway) at one point or another, we shouldn't be afraid of it or try to limit our view of it. To each his own as they say and that should be something everyone should respect. I'm not a prude by any sense of the word, yet I can't help but feel that some of the sex and nudity was gratuitous; the film is very graphic in the area of sex. I'm going to single out PJ DeBoy as Jamie in the relationship of James; he loves James (he used to be Jamie too but now wants to be known by the more formal version of the name) very much but doesn't seem to be enough for James. Justin Bond, a queer performer from New York City, is also in the movie and the movie itself is directed by John Cameron Mitchell, the performer who brought us Hedwig And The Angry Inch which is itself better as a stage show. The film has a lot to say about sex and there are some really funny moments and lines. One in particular involves a vibrating egg, an altercation and a remote control that someone uses to try and change the tv channel. And one character says, "In my show, I use menstrual juice for makeup." To that, another character replies, "It's a period piece." Many people may be put off by the sex of this film, but that's exactly why this film should be seen. These people aren't special or deviant; they are normal and everyday people dealing with the same issues as everyone else; only they are more open about it.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.25

peace,

paul

Saturday, October 28, 2006

I read an interesting piece of an article this past week about how much time it takes for people in certain careers to earn $1,000. For example, it only takes Howard Stern 24 seconds to earn a grand and 4min., 48sec for Brad Pitt to make that amount. A general practitioner can earn that amount in 13hr, 5min and a police officer in 43 hours. It takes 103 hours for a janitor and for me it takes about 80 hours. I want the job where it only takes me 10 seconds to earn that much. Not even a chief executive makes that amount in such a small amount of time; it takes them 2hr, 55min.

Happy Bread making.

paul

movie minute

Hocus Pocus: Two masculine and macho men spend two hours trying to upstage and outwit each other with their testosterone, um, magic. By the way, why are there no women magicians? Anyway, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (hottie Christian Bale) play the magicians with something to prove; that something would be who can be the best performer in late 19th century London and who can wow the audiences the most. The film The Prestige starts with a field of top hats and from there the rollercoaster begins. After Angier experiences a tragic loss, he vows revenge on Borden and even goes so far as to steal his secrets. It's a pissing contest but with magic. Borden is the better magician in but Angier is the better showman and goes to extreme lengths to get the secrets to Borden's tricks; he even dispatches his assistant to spy on Borden. As the two continue to top each other, the ones that suffer are the ones around them. The director, Christopher Nolan, director of the wonderful movie Memento, has a clever and twisty thriller here. Unfortunately, he is either losing his touch or I've seen too many twisty thrillers. I guessed all of the twists miles before they were revealed, even the final not-quite-so-jaw-dropping (in my case anyway) one. Bale and Jackman give solid performances and Scarlett Johansson (yes, her again) gives a performance that, really, anyone could have done; male or female. And why does she have to be in everything? Jackman and Johansson better be careful or people will start thinking they are having an affair. They also starred in the movie Scoop together. And Bale and Michael Caine better be careful or people will start talking about them. They both starred in Batman Begins and here Caine plays an aging illusionist. The movie feels like an original, however, it's taken from Christopher Priest's novel. If you like magic and bends in the road, check out this movie and make sure you are watching closely.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

paul

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Funnies

Thanks to my friend Julie who sent this. My spouse and I both laughed. Enjoy!

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired. Mrs. Fenton insists that Mr. Fenton go with her to Wal-Mart. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. He gets bored with all the shopping. Here's a letter sent to her from the store:

Dear Mrs. Fenton:


Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.

Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Wal-Mart.

June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren’t looking.

July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.


July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, ‘Code 3' in housewares... and watched what happened.

Aug 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

Sept 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

Sept 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

Sept 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

Oct 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, a nd picked his nose. Nov 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where to find the antidepressants.

Dec 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the “Mission Impossible" theme.

Dec 6: in the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

Dec 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

Dec 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but not least ... Dec 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door waited awhile, and then yelled very loudly,"There is no toilet paper in here!"

paul

election eggs

The political ads are heating up and getting nasty; nastier than ever it seems. Rush Limbaugh did apologize to Michael J. Fox (but not without saying Fox is exploiting his disease). Limbaugh mocked Fox on his radio show by making the jerky movements Fox made in his ad supporting stem cell research. Limbaugh said that Fox was acting and exaggerating the effects of the Parkinson's disease that Fox has. We all know what an expert on prescription drugs that Limbaugh is. He's been arrested for drug prescription fraud and having prescriptions that didn't bear his name. There's also a really nasty ad in Tennessee between two Senators. Black candidate Harold Ford is on the receiving end of the Republican National Committee's (RNC) ad with some characters facetiously supporting Ford. One woman says she "met Harold at the playboy party." The character is white. She later winks to the camera and says (to Harold), "Call me." The Republican candidate, Bob Corker, is white. Corker denounced the ad and the RNC, after originally standing by the ad, has since pulled it. Are there no longer any candidates who don't stoop to sewer levels to get their point across? These people are Americans (they could be our neighbors) and they are disgusting.

paul
Not into you anymore or the 'It's not you, it's me' syndrome. Wanna break up with that person you thought was the "special someone" in your life? Now you can do it online. Forget the phone, forget face to face, forget even email, now you can get even more impersonal. Shannen Doherty has a break-up show on Oxygen called Breaking Up (natch). Bernd Dressler, a German entrepreneur will dump your SO (significant other) by phone and you don't even have to be on the other end. It's the "Let's Stay Friends" phone call (I say don't hold your breath on the friends part). Dressler will also do the "Stay Away" break up for $25 and will break up with your former love in person for only $63. Or you web surfers can go to DumpMonkey.com and pay $24.95 to break up with the person you are no longer "in love" with. The dumpee receives a 16in. stuffed monkey that has a certificate of break up with the date and time the relationship ended. Lest the poor broken hearted fool think it is a joke, they will also receive a phone call to verify that, yes, the break up is real and they won't be getting any hearts for Valentine's Day. The sad truth is that some people would rather dig into their pockets to do this rather than be the bigger person and break up with the person in person on by phone. No doubt the monkey will provide some comfort at night for the breakee.

peace,

paul
It no more: The game Tag is being dropped from some schools here in the US. Willett Elementary School in Attleboro, MA dropped the game last week and other schools in South Carolina and Wyoming have dropped the game as well. The reason: It could give kids low self-esteem, not to mention kids could get hurt. Other chase games such as touch football have also been dropped. Some advocates of Tag say that the game is good for children who are overweight; these are the same kids whose self-esteem are hurt because they are always "it" because they are overweight and get caught easily. It's a vicious cycle!

paul

Sunday, October 22, 2006

settling into Sunday

Today was our big dedication Sunday to celebrate our new church building. We had 92 people (a record) and we had liturgical dance for the first time. Two young women danced in with a flowing blue cloth that represents the river of God's love flowing into the building and service and then they set the altar. They danced in to the song Take Us To The River Afterwards I danced in the book of gospels. My dance represented going from fearing the bible to using it as a spiritual guidance for life and the ability to offer it to others for their lives. While dancing two people were singing the song Travelin' Light by Sara Groves and and then before communion they danced in and presented the bread and wine (we use juice in our church) to the song Let Us Break Bread Together. The choir also performed for the first time in the new church and our keyboardist has been renewed and reenergized; he's really come a long way. We've been getting more African Americans attending the services and Jim really gets off on the answering back and many of the white folks have started trying to answer back as well; Jim can get right into that spirit with the answering back and getting even more fired up.

It was a great service and I've no doubt we will have many many more.

peace,

paul

big numbers

This past week we celebrated the 300,000,000th person to arrive in the US. We had 100,000,000 in 1915; in 1967 we arrived at 200,000,000 and now we've reached the next milestone. Predictions for 400,000,000 put the year at 204?. Growing by leaps and bounds everday.

paul

movie minute

Raising Of The Flag: "Every jackass thinks they know about war, especially those who have never been in one." A dig at our current President? No, just the opening line of Clint Eastwood's new movie, Flags Of Our Fathers. The film follows three men who fought in Iwo Jima and helped capture the island to reach the peak, Mount Suribachi. And it all started with a photo. The photo in question is the photo that Joe Rosenthal took of six men putting the flag up; three men later died before making it back to the states. Following that photo, the US decides to bring the three remaining men home and take them on a whirlwind publicity tour to help raise more money for the war by having people buy more war bonds. The three men are all affected differently: John (Doc) Bradley played by Mr. Reese Witherspoon, I mean Ryan Phillippe is just content to stay out of the limelight but feels it is his duty to help with the war; Rene Gagnon played by Jesse Bradford eats up the attention whether it's the girls, the autographs, or the photos, he is happy to take center stage; Ira Hayes played by Adam Beach thinks it is all a joke. He is convinced they shouldn't be there; they should be back with their unit. At one point he is told incredulously by an army official that the rest of the unit is dead. He also feels the guilt and pain of not having the other three guys there with them to celebrate in their heroism. Which brings up one of the main themes of the movie: What is a hero and how should a hero be treated? Is it better for the hero to stand out or remain hidden? Is it better for the hero for the public to throw attention at them? And what happens to the hero in question once the photos and publicity have died down? Beach has the meaty role here and the roles that Phillippe and Bradford play are really underwritten. The movie would have been more heartfelt if it had gone deeper into the lives of the men as they bring the war back home with them. Also the fight scenes (which were shot mostly in Iceland with some CG effects) don't have the urgency and were not as well done as Spielberg did them in Saving Private Ryan. The film also brings up another point of contention: What photos should be shown during a war? Should we be fooled by the photos that we are winning the war or should we also be shown the real photos; the pain, the death, the heartbreak? This movie is extremely timely especially with the current administration's claims that we are winning the war. People may not remember a couple of years ago when the administration tried everything to stop people from seeing photos coffins with flags draped over them. The film is graphic at times and Eastwood delivers with his directing. Most of the action comes from the fight scenes which some people may be tired of seeing.

It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you are an Eastwood fan.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

possible oscar noms

Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay

paul

Monday, October 16, 2006

movie minute

Dearly Departed: Martin Scorsese's new film is, in my humble opinion, his best film to date. The Departed tells the story of Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) and Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), Sullivan's mentor/"father." Costello is a mob criminal in Boston and Colin is Costello's informer. The clincher is that Colin is an up and coming police detective with the Boston Police; how convenient for Costello. Colin is also a mole that becomes a thorn in the police force's side. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is also a mole but he one of Costello's most trusted criminal sidekicks; he's also an ex-cop who is feeding the real feds info on Costello to help them take Costello down once and for all. Are you still with me??? The film is a bit hard to follow at the beginning in terms of what exactly is going down but once it gets going, about 45mins into the film, it's a joyride. This being Martin Scorsese the film is, of course, grandiose and long. The first 45mins don't drag so much as make us anxious for what we know is coming. It's a cat and mouse game through and through and a violent and gory game at that. Yes, this movie does not pull any punches in terms of blood and violence. The two moles scramble to keep their respective identities secret but like all secrets, it doesn't stay secret forever. Not only that but they both fall for the same girl. The movie is not set in NY, which is where Scorsese's films are usually set and it seems like Boston has re-energized the filmmaker. I think he's a great director but I've never been a fan of his movies in terms of the stories they tell. This one was different and I was rapt the whole time. I do have a bone to pick, however. Nicholson is playing another sleazeball (really, a role he can do in his sleep) and did he really have to be the one chosen for this role. He really did wear on me as the mob kingpin and Matt Damon is really not a good actor (I'm prepared for any nasty comments). DiCaprio has the meatier role here, anyway and it is the second best thing I've ever seen him in; the first being What's Eating Gilbert Grape. As Costigan, the criminal who really wanted to be a cop, he begins to doubt himself and his sanity as he scrambles to keep his cover amidst the violence and deception. Alec Baldwin is also in this movie and he's in everything lately. Not only is he on the tv show 30 Rock but he is also in these soon to be released movies: Mini's First Time, The Good Shepherd, Running With Scissors, The Girls' Guide To Hunting & Fishing, and The Forbidden City. Really, is he short on money or something? But I digress.....If you are a fan of Scorsese then chances are you'll really enjoy this movie. The sad part about this being arguably his best film is that it's not original; it's a remake of a terrific 2002 Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. Scorsese is more or less true to the original film. Not for the faint of heart though.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.75

paul

Possible Oscar noms:

Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Jack Nicholson
Best Supp. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

Sunday, October 15, 2006

word of the week

gayby boom: Yes, this would be the boom in gay/lesbian couples having babies. Whether it's by adoption or children from a previous heterosexual relationship, 25% of gay couples in the U.S. have children. The state with the most gay couples likely to have children: Texas. Yes, the Lonestar state has several cities in the top ten. Houston is fourth, according to the U.S. Census data while Fort Worth-Arlington is fifth. The city in Texas with the most gay couples living with children happens to be San Antonio (steers & queers, indeed!). Maybe they should change their slogan to Don't Mess With Quexas.

paul

photo


This is one of 5 slides at the Tate Modern Gallery in London. This looks like fun and quite a rush.

photo



A double rainbow over Niagara Falls taken from the Maid Of The Mist. Sadly, I wasn't on it. I've yet to ride the Maid Of The Mist. It's on my to do list.

photo



A photo of lightning over Acropolis Hill in Athens. This, of course, is the Parthenon.

movie minute

Famously Bold: Last year a "little" movie called Capote was released and many accolades went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal of the writer. Those accolades were deserved and yet the movie was just alright. Now comes another movie about Capote with many of the same characters and yet a bit of a slant on the one Capote told. Whereas Hoffman's movie focused on Capote's struggle to write his megabook "In Cold Blood", Infamous, starring Toby Jones (Finding Neverland, voice of Dobby in Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets) as Capote, focuses on that aspect but goes for a deeper story as well. The film decides to focus on the relationship that developed between Capote and killer Perry Smith (wonderfully played here by Daniel Craig). Craig once again proves just how versatile he really is; take that new Bond haters. Craig portrays a smoldering Smith both vulnerable and stone cold. It's long been rumored that there was more to their relationship than met the eye. The film cuts between Capote and best friend Nelle Harper Lee (sadly, a miscast Sandra Bullock) as they gather info for the book and scenes of Capote at swank restaurants and parties with his upper class friends. It's a veritable who's who of actors: Peter Bogdanovich, Isabella Rossellini, Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Juliet Stevenson, Jeff Daniels, and Hope Davis. I didn't mind the actors talking to the camera while in character but it was distracting whenever Craig talked to the camera while reading letters that Smith wrote to Capote. The movie is adapted from the book of classmate and friend of Robert Kennedy, George Plimpton. This movie is much more enjoyable than last year's Capote and while I enjoyed Hoffman's performance, Jones goes for the jugular in capturing Capote. I've seen clips and interviews with the real Capote (he died in 1984) and where Hoffman's Capote was muted, Jones's is loud. Hoffman's Capote was fey but Jones's Capote is flamboyant. Jones also nails how repulsive Capote was not just in Kansas but with his high society friends as well. His stature and face are more alike to the real Capote than Hoffman could pull off. The real sad part of this is that this film and the performances might get overlooked because of last year's film; they were both being made at the same time but Capote made it to the finish line first. In Capote there were a number of scenes that were too slow or had too much exposition; there are a couple in Infamous but it's much more enjoyable a film than Capote and definitely worth seeing whether you've seen Capote or not.

Bags of Popcorn(out of 5): 3.75

Saturday, October 14, 2006

sniff sniff

Mmmmm....smells like peaches, with a hint of vanilla and an undertone of sandalwood. If you've ever walked into a store and thought you smelled certain smells, you weren't imagining things. It's all the rage now for stores to have smells filtering throughout the store; some sections having their own smells. Even hotels and casinos have gotten in on the act. The thinking is that certain smells put people in a certain mood which is good when spending money is the object. ScentAir is one such company. They send smells to different companies and the companies whittle them down to the best scents. So next time you walk into your hotel lobby and think you smell chocolate chip cookies you shouldn't worry that you have a brain tumor.

peace,

paul

movie minute

Kingdom of Fear: Usually a movie in which one performance is singled out is lackluster and drags when the performer is not on screen; this is not the case with The Last King Of Scotland, the new movie by Touching The Void director Kevin Macdonald. The movie, actually filmed in Uganda, is part fiction but mostly fact and taken from Giles Foden's book of the same name. It is so named because Ugandan President Idi Amin liked all things Scottish (fact part) including his Scottish personal physician who becomes his closest advisor (fiction part). Forest Whitaker plays Amin and gives a tour-de-force performance. Whitaker as Amin exudes confidence and charm. The film opens with Amins ascension to Presidency in the early 1970's as a result of a coup and follows his subsequent paranoia and increasingly volatile behavior. James McAvoy (yes, Mr. Tumnus, the faun from The Chronicles of Narnia) plays the fictional Nicholas Garrigan who moves from Scotland to the second place he touches on his globe (the first place was Canada. Hmmm...another idea for a movie, Canada in the 1970's). Garrigan is a bright-eyed and eager doctor who has recently gotten his degree and shortly after arriving in Uganda is called to fix the President's wrist which has been sprained. Amin is taken with Garrigan and immediately asks him to be his personal physician. Garrigan has an in with Amin and even as those around him begin warning him of Amin and he starts seeing with his own eyes what Amin is capable is, he is still able to be charmed by Amin. Whitaker, of course, never makes this man totally repugnant; he juggles the role with ease and deft. By the time Garrigan realizes just how much trouble he's in (some of the trouble comes from his own actions, it should be noted) it may be too late for him to leave. A personal note of this film: My spouse arrived in Uganda (he had been in Egypt) on the day that President Amin ordered the Asians out of the country. Gillian Anderson, who, sadly, is wasted here, plays the wife of a doctor. Amin reigned until 1979 at which time he was overthrown and following the result of that coup, there was dancing in the streets. By the time all was said and done, Amin had killed more than 300,000 Ugandans. Amin died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 2003. This is a powerful film with a few very graphic scenes but it is a film that could arguably somewhat echo the current American power structure.

Bags of popcorn: 4.25

And always thinking ahead to the Oscars, I'll make some predictions on possible nods for a nom

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker
Best Adapted Screenplaly
Best Supp. Actor: James McAvoy

Friday, October 13, 2006

weekly post from October 7, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

Another week is behind us...WHEW!!! I've been praying like it's going out of style this week. Praying for loved ones in Mass., praying for people in church, praying for my spouse, praying for our world. We do live in a world, by the way, we are not alone.

I had a "What the hell did I do?" moment this past week. I got an automated message from Hollywood Video telling me that an item I rented out a month ago may not be returnable. First of all, is it returnable or not? Anyway, I had rented a movie the first week in September and then returned it. Only I returned it to the public library thinking it was a movie I checked out from the library. Needless to say the library had no record of receiving it and I was forced to pay for the movie. Thankfully it was Harvey, a movie from 1950, and it was less than $20. I shudder to think how much it would have been if the movie had been new. It's just not like me to do something like that as I'm usually so anal about that kind of stuff. Yes, I just called myself anal. Mark it in your record books.

I've another comment regarding this past week. Why, oh why, do we as humans let our baggage and ego get in the way of what's important and what matters? I believe we are here to become wiser, more enlightened and certainly better people. We should strive to lead better lives and do good work. A preacher recently preached a sermon in which they included a comment about predatory behavior in the church; that would be vulnerable, nervous, hurting, and scared newcomers coming to a church and then being hit on by someone else in the church. Some people got "all in an uproar" by the fact that the preacher was saying we can't form relationships within the church. We can't find a boyfriend/girlfriend in the church. POINT MISSED!!! No, that is not what the preacher was saying, in fact quite the opposite. Forming relationships (friend, sexual or otherwise) is fine. What's not fine is zooming in on a newcomer and thinking, "One night stand" or "Hey, let's get together and have some fun." These new people need to feel welcomed and safe and secure before they can even think about entering into some sort of sexual relationship. I've talked to new people at church and barely been able to engage them in conversation because they were so uncomfortable or nervous or unsure. Imagine if I tried to hit on them! Another thought that comes to mind is the Mark Foley scandal. Some "pundits" have mentioned the fact that Foley is gay (as if that's the reason he wrote sexually explicit things to the pages). POINT MISSED!!! It doesn't matter if he's gay or Republican or a Southerner or even what religion he is. The fact is that he wrote those things to underage kids. That's the point! We need to be aware of what's being said and look beyond the rhetoric, look beyond the surface, look deeper and see the truth. When we do that then we can be wiser, smarter, better informed and actually see the point. Earlier I mentioned that we let our ego and baggage get in the way of things; just throw them out. Toss them out like nasty smelling trash. And whatever you are doing this weekend look deeper and beyond yourself to see the bigger picture of things.


peace,

paul

on the radio

Rotten remake: Hall & Oates took the song "Out Of Touch" to the top of the charts in December of 1984 and now 22 years later a group called Uniting Nations has remade the song. This is a truly relentlessly repetitive remake. Stick with the original.

Here are a few things I am enjoying on the radio. Alan Jackson, "Like Red On A Rose"; Pink, "Who Knew"; Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and Orson, "Not Tomorrow."

peace,

paul

tube talk

I've only seen the first episode of season three of Lost; the 2nd one is on the dvr ready to watch. Based on the first episode, the question of, "Where did the polar bear come from?" seems to be answered. Seems to be. Kate and Sawyer spent part of the episode trapped in what looked like animal cages from a zoo. There are 3 things, in my humble opinion, that Lost really needs to focus on this season: Who are the others and how did they get there; what happened to Michael and Walt; and some cracks in loyalty between the others and some alliances with the members of flight 815. It's also a given that more answers must be provided. Jim doesn't watch the show anymore because he has it figured out and I think he might be right. He thinks the Others were born on the island as a result of the experiment that the Dharma initiative conducted. They are testing Kate and Sawyer to become one of them to see if they have what it takes. Since Kate and Sawyer exhibit a lot of anti-social behavior, they would be perfect others. Jim also thinks the others had a hand in causing the plane to crash as for how the others know all about the people of flight 815, that remains to be seen. Stay tuned......

And speaking of tv, the season is barely a month old and I've already dropped four shows from my MUST SEE LIST. I started with a record number and have since jettisoned Justice, Kidnapped, Heroes, and Six Degrees. Whew!!!

peace,

paul

Thursday, October 05, 2006

this & that Thursday

Secret Smile: The Mona Lisa has been around for a number of years but now thanks to infrared photography, scholars are speculating that Mona Lisa was with child. Apparently Leo had painted a gauzy garment over Lisa and that was the fashion for soon to be moms way back when. So, that's why she's smiling. But I thought Lisa was Leo in drag; oh, wait, that was what The DaVinci Code said.

Lost In Space: And now word comes from an Australian Audio Analyst (aren't the AAA letters already taken?) that Neil Armstrong did not say, "One small step for man" but "One small step for A man." Thanks to static and the limitations of the technology at the time, the word A was garbled. Armstrong had claimed he did say A but we just never got to hear it....until now.

peace,

paul

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

weekly post from September 24, 2006

Hellooooooo,

Neither my spouse nor I wrote our emails last week; not unusual for me but very unlike my spouse. The leaves are falling in full force now and I've got to make sure I don't get behind in my raking this year. I was really lax in that area last year and it took the grass a while to recover. There is still a small patch right by our front door that hasn't grown back as a result. It's a reminder to me to get my butt out there and do some yardwork.

We had a kind of busy weekend. On Friday, Jim (his day off) was on his way to a doctor's appointment when the doctor's office called to say the doctor is sick and Jim will have to reschedule. Then he had a funeral in the afternoon and we went to see a really funny movie in the evening called Confetti (you can read about it on my blog). I had to work Friday evening (but I'm off tonight). I don't really mind working on a Friday night if I know I'll have Sunday off. I'd much rather have that night off. Saturday we drove to Big Flats to have lunch with a friend from Elmira (I used to live there). We had a lot of fun catching up and our friend, Eric, recently made a big life change but is much more content and less stressed; always a good thing. Now if we could just get him hooked up with a guy.....

Today we had church and on my way to church I listened to the headline news (at least 2hrs each day); either listening or reading. One of the news stories was about a Target in Tampa in which three shoppers had an incident over the new Tickle Me Elmo doll. Yes, the little red furry monster is stirring up trouble again. When the original Tickle Me Elmo came out a number of years ago, he sparked a craze with shoppers by flying off the shelves. This time around Elmo laughs a bit more hysterically and three shoppers at the above mentioned Target ran to the shelf. The problem: There were only 2 left. One man and an elderly woman got there first and the man took one and gave the other one to the elderly lady. The second man then proceeded to threaten the first man's life if he didn't give up Elmo. Elmo as hostage? No, just another example of the uncivilized world we live in. Jim spoke in his sermon today about how we climb and claw at each other to get what we want. We become insensitive and arrogant; we have the "ME FIRST" attitude. Our culture doesn't help; it exacerbates the situation by filling society with messages that #1 is all there is, win at all costs, and the one I find most cringe-worthy, second is the first loser. Really? Then there are a lot of losers around; I'm one of them. If being a loser means I don't compromise my morals and I'm genuine and honest and faithful, then just hand me my emblazoned t-shirt now. I, like a lot of people, have worked hard to get to a place where I like myself and can look at myself in the mirror and not be ashamed. It's something we should all aspire to.

Take a good look at yourselves this week; really look inside and see if there's anything you would like to change. I'm not saying to go all Nip/Tuck on yourself, I'm saying to challenge yourself to be good to yourself and those you love.


peace,

paul

movie minute

Down with the Kings

Yes, it’s another remake and this time it’s not only a remake of an Academy award winning film but of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. All The Kings Men is the story of Willie Stark, a man raised in rural Louisiana who goes on to become governor of that state. The fictional Stark is actually based on Huey P. Long who was governor of the state of Louisiana from 1928-1932 and a U.S. Senator from 1932-1935. Stark starts out as a working man’s man, someone willing to stand up for the poor farmers of the state. As he rises to power with his raucous speeches declaring he is for the little people, the power begins to change him and corrupt him. He also goes through women like most people go through underwear. Sean Penn plays Willie in the 2006 version and one of the reasons I went to see this movie is because of Sean Penn. His performance as Willie has been getting very good reviews; that’s about the only thing in the movie getting good reviews. The other reason I went to see it is for the rest of the cast: Patricia Clarkson, Mark Ruffalo, Kathy Baker, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and James Gandolfini also star in the movie. Ninety percent of the movie’s dialogue is in hushed tones as if the characters were in a huge library and the rest of the dialogue is Penn giving one of his heart pounding-epileptic seizure speeches. Seriously, his hand gestures were very limited and they became a distraction very quickly. And the editors did a truly crappy job of editing the movie. Scenes that were left in should not have been and scenes that were cut out (believe me, it was obvious) should have been in. If I had not read the book and seen the original, I would not have known what in the hell was going on. The film also played with the decades in which events took place. Long actually died in 1935 but in the movie it shows him dying in 1954. Penn does give it a nice shot (in the speeches anyway) but he lacks the presence, not to mention the bluster, in the ordinary scenes that Broderick Crawford had tenfold in the original movie. Crawford won a much deserved Oscar for his role as Willie. Clarkson also lacks the punch and is not as feisty as Mercedes McCambridge had in the original. McCambridge also won an Oscar for the role of Sadie Burke. This film won’t be winning the big prize and it will be a surprise if it is even nominated. Most of the film is a snoozefest and the actors should all keep this film off their resumes. Read the book by Robert Penn Warren then watch Robert Rosen’s thrilling 1949 adaptation but forget about the extremely enervated 2006 version.

Bags of popcorn: 1/2


peace,

paul

teabagging it

Here's a great idea (yeah!) let's tea bag our bills (get your mind out of the gutter). That's what thousands of customers in Illinois did to protest the increase in electricity rates by as much as 55% starting next year. Thousands of bills were mailed to ComEd and Ameren with tea bags inside. Who's the creative "genius" behind this ploy? Lt. Gov Pat Quinn. What they should have mailed with their bills are those glitter confetti shapes. Those things go everywhere and are a pain in the ass to clean up. I think that would have made a much bigger statement. But, hey, that's only me.

peace,

paul

Rant of the week

Sen. Bob Packwood has done it; Patrick Kennedy did it after he crashed his car earlier this year; Ben Affleck has done it and Matthew Perry did it while he was on Friends. First Lady Betty Ford did it after her stint in the White House. Now Congressman Mark Foley has done it amidst allegations that he emailed and sent text messages that were sexually explicit to house pages (not to be confused with house boys; that's something entirely different). So what is IT? Checking oneself into rehab for substance abuse. Foley has admitted he is an alcohol problem and he is gay and he was molested between the ages of 13 and 15. The rehab cure all (stay there until the next round of celebrity rehab). I'm not saying that drug and alcohol abuse isn't a problem; I've no doubt that it is. It causes people to do shameful things and destroys lives. What I am suspicious of is the multi-purpose rehab for people in the public eye. I mean, really, are these people going to rehab for real help or to make themselves look better? It just seems too convenient. Got a problem? Check yourself. Molested your neighbor? Go to the Serenity Spa/Rehab Center. It's too bad there's not a stupid rehab clinic for people who do ridiculous things such as driving under the influence while on the way to In-And-Out Burger (paging Paris Hilton).

peace,

paul