fun

A friend sent this to me and for those of you who want to know a little more about me, here goes. Enjoy.

Terrible Twos

Two Names You Go By: Paul, paulie

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: slippers, sweats

Two Things You Want in a Relationship: honesty, sex

Two of Your Favorite Things to do: read, play volleyball

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment: President Bush out of office, summer

Two pets you had/have: Casper, Perry

Two things you did last night: ate at a seder, finished a book

Two People that live in your house: Jim and me, of course

Two people you talked to last: Jim and myself

Two Things You're doing tomorrow: Watching Survivor, sleeping in

Two longest car rides: Texas to NY, NY to MA

Two Favorite Holidays: New Year's, Christmas

Two favorite beverages: water, Pinot Grigio

peace,

paul

Rotten Remakes

There are very few remakes that I truly enjoy and it never ceases to amaze me the songs that are being remade. Is it so a new audience can enjoy the song? Why not just have the original artist do a remix of the original. It doesn't even have to be a major makeover, just a re-tweaking. There are two songs that are now out in remake form. The first one went to #3 in 1988 and was sung by actor Patrick Swayze with help from Wendy Fraser. The song was "She's Like The Wind" and was from the big blockbuster soundtrack Dirty Dancing which was from the movie of the same name. Now female artist Lumidee (aka Lumidee Cedeno) has remade the song and given it more of an R&B/hip hop sound to it. It's not good; in fact I'd much prefer to hear the plaintive sound of Swayze over this ridiculous redo. By the way, Lumidee was only 3 years old when the original peaked on the chart.

The second song that has gotten the update treatment was a #1 hit from 1998 called "Truly Madly Deeply" by the group Savage Garden. There aren't a lot of ballads (treacly drivel) that I would listen to over and over but this is one of them. It's Darren Hayes's feeling and emotion and smooth falsetto that I enjoy, not to mention the words. Well now the German group, Cascada, has remade the song and given it a dance beat. It's awful and I like dance music. Cascada had a modest hit last year with "Everytime We Touch", the video of which was also shown on the Logo station.

If you hear these songs and want to share your opinion then let me know.

peace,

paul

one more link

This just makes me want to go through the McDonald's drive thru and do this. I wonder if there have been any copycats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgpxiY3hQiY

paul's post week of March 26, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

Better late than never or so they say. It's the beginning of another week and it was in the mid 70's today. This is definitely the beginning of shorts weather. I like shorts and have no qualms about showing off my hairy legs. And boy are they hairy.

I've been thinking a lot about gifts; gifts that we are blessed with. Some people spend their entire lives trying to figure out what they are good at. They don't need to; all they have to do is look inside themselves, experiment, tweak, and have some confidence. Let's face it without confidence a gift can't shine through. I had the pleasure of singing special music at church on Sunday and with each song I sing solo, I try to stretch myself. I try to go further and the song I did was right near the top of my range in some spots and I was a little nervous but I practiced and practiced and tweaked and changed it up to fit my voice and went out there with guns (or I should say vocal chords) blazing. Everyone is good at at least one thing. If you stop and examine your life and examine yourself you will find that one thing and maybe even more. It's something we're born with but we have to continue to sharpen it and play with it to keep showing it off. It's like a foreign language; if you don't use it you may lose it. In my case I lost my Spanish a long time ago (even after 6 years of it) but, thankfully, I have other things I'm decent at. I also know what I'm not so good at. I'd make a terrible sexton for my church because instead of going through the checklist of things that need to be done I would be chatting with other people, catching up with them, finding out what's going on in their lives and neglecting what I was supposed to be doing.

So find out what you are good at this week when you are out and about or enjoying the sun. Really examine yourself, find out what you like to do and what you know you can do. Surprise yourself. Experiment, tweak yourself, make yourself shine.

Until next week: Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

peace,

paul

another link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omk-zKi4YOg Maybe you'll want to eat in after seeing this.

more links

Check out these cute otters in Vancouver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno


This one is funny and just a bit creepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_enYxIftwE


paul

stupid stunts

Angel station in North London has a 300ft tube escalator, the longest in Europe. Now imagine a man with a head cam and skis on his feet climbing up the escalator and then skiing down. That's exactly what happened this past week. Luckily no one was hurt because the guy's friends warned people to stay out of the way. This was all over the news and police have not yet caught the guy; they probably don't even know who he is since his face is never shown. If you'd like to see the whole crazy stunt then click on the link below. Slalom!

paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx4pNAEg7jQ

Video pick of the week

Misery of Men: I missed this one in the theaters but was able to catch it on video. It's just out this week. The movie is Children Of Men, starring Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine, and Julianne Moore. Adapted from the book by P.D. James, the story is set in the U.K. in the year 2027. There have been no births for almost two decades and that has led to a collapse of society. Environmental problems, rampant terrorism, and millions upon millions of refugees paint a bleak picture of the world. The Human Project, a covert group, is the one thing that could save the human race.

The dreamy Owen plays Theo and Moore plays Julian. When Julian asks for Theo's help to transport a refugee to the Human Project, he agrees to help his estranged wife with the refugee. The clincher: The refugee is pregnant. They must get her to safety while outrunning the government and double crossers. This movie is well directed, well acted, and has some surprises that are very believable. I was quite impressed and have no doubt in my mind that this movie just missed being one of the best picture nominees of last year. Sadly, it got lost in the other releases during the holiday but should definitely be caught on video.

Children Of Men is directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who also directed Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and A Little Princess.

paul

Saturday bits and bites

Pet Pride: Man's best friend: You can walk with them, play with them, cuddle with them and even have your life saved by them. Yes, good ole dogs, can actually save you when you are choking. So it was the case with Toby, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever in Calvert, Maryland. The dog's owner, Debbie Parkhurst was eating a piece of apple when she started choking and when she was unable to give herself the Heimlich maneuver Toby, quicker than Lassie, pushed Debbie to the ground and began jumping on Debbie's chest with his front paws. Toby must have been quite tenacious because according to Debbie, "I literally have paw print-shaped bruises on my chest." Let's hope Debbie's lover doesn't get the wrong idea about those bruises. Toby no doubt ate the piece of apple once it was dislodged. And coming up next week: The cat who gives mouth to mouth (ok, I made that last part up).

paul

This is a picture of me in the lorikeet bird cage at the Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls. I have a small cup of some sort of nectar that the birds immediately flocked to as soon as the worker poured it. Those things are heavy and they kept trying to climb my arm and would slip a little on the way up. We weren't allowed to take any pictures ourselves but, thankfully, the worker took a few and got one of one of the birds on my shoulder. This was definitely the highlight of the day; for me anyway.

paul

Some pics from the Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls. Jim and I (Jim, my spouse, is pictured here) spent the day there and enjoyed poison dart frogs, bats, scorpions and, of course, birds. It was quite a relaxing day and something I had been wanting to do for a while. Jim is in rare horsing around mood with a fake serpent. I don't know the names of all of the birds so I won't try to act intelligent. Just enjoy the pics.

paul

weekly post from March 18, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

It's been a weird few weeks. This is the first email I've written in a while because I've been so depressed. I had noticed myself getting sadder and sadder for a few weeks and then finally I was crying all the time, took no pleasure in anything and just wanted to sleep all of the time. I don't know if it was the weather, my job, other stresses or everything but I was in a real funk. I knew something was seriously wrong when I barely got excited while watching the Academy Awards. I went to the doctor and was put on medication and taken out of work for a couple of weeks and, hopefully, I'll be on the upswing soon.

I discovered something about myself today that I wasn't even aware of. Someone at church asked me how I was and I told them I had not been in a good place and I just wanted to blurt everything out; I didn't. I left it at that and I don't even know why I didn't blurt everything out. Maybe I didn't want to burden that person; maybe I think that, as the pastor's spouse, I have to be this tower of strength. I'm not exactly sure what that was about but I think it's something worth examining and working on. I want to thank those of you who mentioned that they missed my weekly email, especially you Sherri.

Want more proof: If you still aren't convinced that the GLBT community is everywhere; here's one for you. I was watching some of Valerie Plame Wilson's testimony to the Committee Of Oversight And Government Reform this past week and saw something surprising. (Valerie Plame Wilson was the covert CIA operative who whose cover was blown almost four years ago; Scooter Libby was recently convicted of lying about his knowledge of her role as an operative.) During the testimony there was a man in drag with a pink hat, pink vest coat and a pink shirt with the words Impeach Bush. At one point, the woman/man ducked down and then popped back up with a pink crown on her head. Now if that doesn't scream queen then I don't know what does. It was very funny. Both Jim and I got a kick out of it. The woman was a transvestite Code Pink protester and she also made several signals (no clue what they were supposed to mean) with her hands.

Well, the sun is finally starting to come out more often and hopefully we've had our last snowstorm. I wish you each peace and blessings. Pray for each other as I pray for you.

Until next week: Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

paul

I don't know if this is true but it's certainly funny.

KILLER BISCUITS WANTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER (the actual AP headline)

Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries. Later, several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour. The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head. When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and came to her aid.
Linda is a blonde, but I'm certain that's irrelevant.

paul

movie minute

Wild Ride: Wild Hogs wasn't my first choice of films to see; that would have been Amazing Grace. However, after buying the tickets, the party I was with suddenly decided instead to see the movie starring Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and John Travolta. Four middle-aged guys decide they've been henpecked, overworked, and underappreciated long enough. The four of them have a "gang" they call the Wild Hogs and they ride once a week. When Woody (played by Travolta) comes up with the idea of a road trip the other guys aren't so sure. Soon, however, as in typical predicatable Hollywood fare, the guys are all suited up and ready for just the open road. No cell phones, no pdas, just the bikes and the four of them. Tim Allen as Doug the dentist is playing a variation on his Christmas With The Kranks character. Martin Lawrence, as out-of-work Bobby, is henpecked by his wife and doesn't even tell her he's going on the trip. William H. Macy is cowardly Dudley; a man so afraid he can't even talk to a woman.

As the four of them set out they realize just how meaningless and banal their lives were. Along the way the find romance, encounter a real biker gang, evade a cruising cop (an actual cop who's cruising), blow up a bar, and save a town. The standouts in the movie are by far Travolta and Macy. Anyone who is a Macy fan knows how funny he is and Travolta, whom I've never been a big fan of, shows some real comedic talent. He just seems so comfortable and real in the film that I was quite surprised.

The movie does offer a few laughs and doesn't require any intellect but what I really had a problem with in the film is the subject of most of the jokes. Yes, four guys are hanging out and doing a road trip together so, naturally, there are going to be gay jokes. The problem is that the jokes are mined for laughs and there is an undertone of meanness; disrespect. The jokes imply that it's bad or wrong and I wasn't wild about that at all.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2

paul

Oscar overall

The show is over and the excitement has come to an end for another year. I was quite surprised by how well I did; scoring about 90% in terms of correct guesses. Out of 24 I correctly guessed 22 missing Best Live Action Short and Supporting Actor. With Supporting Actor, I went with front runner Eddie Murphy instead of my gut. I had a feeling in the back of my mind that Alan Arkin could have possibly won but went with what seemed like sure shot Murphy. And besides it would have just been too much for the Academy to award three black actors in one year.

I thought Ellen did an okay job; I wasn't blown away. She tried to take the stuffiness out of the ceremony which is always a good thing and she had some funny moments. The dancers behind the screen that shaped themselves into different things was cool. The song and dance segment with Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and John C. Reilly was just weird and lame. The best quote of the night though was backstage. After winning for best song, Melissa Etheridge said, "This is the only naked man that will ever be in my bedroom." I also enjoyed the little skit with Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway from The Devil Wears Prada and they joked that neither one of them got Meryl Streep a cappuccino. Then cut to Streep in the audience as she glared at them a la her character from Prada. One other bit I enjoyed was when Al Gore started talking about how he had an announcement and then suddenly the music cut him off. The joke was that he was going to announce his bid for Presidency.

Time to put the calculations and celebrating away for another year. But just like the seasons coming back, so too will the little gold man.

paul

weekly post from February 25, 2007

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Another week gone by and the "in like a lion" month looms straight ahead. It got cold again this past week here in Western, NY and I've been hearing that we might get another storm this week (oh, just the one?). Yes, March is infamous for its wicked weather so we're not quite in the clearing yet.

Last night we went to a church member's house and had a party for another church member who will soon be moving back to Michigan. Michigan? Yes, Michigan. That's where she's from and where her family is. Anyway, it was a surprise party and everyone was asked to donate a little money to help with moving expenses. There were about 25 or 26 people there and the age range was from 22 to 79. Someone at one point said they wouldn't call it a church function but there was only one person there who was not a member of the church so I would have called it a church function. And just like at the Christmas party back in December, we had fun at this party. I remember hearing (from Jim) that some people (not church members) were surprised that a church function could be so much fun and so raucous. Well why not? We're people too. We like to let our hair down and who says that we have to be uptight just because it's a church function? Someone also commented to me last night that I was different out in public than I am in church. I admit I'm a little less loud in church and do like to ham it up when I'm out. In fact, last night, our group was really loud and someone at one point said it sounded like a bar only without the stumbling drunk people or the bar fights. Just people having a lot of fun, enjoying each other's company, and just being themselves. There's nothing wrong with that. One should not have to hide oneself or pretend to be something their not. As long as no one's being hurt then just keep it real, keep it real.

Whatever you are doing this weekend and wherever you are I hope you are just being you; keepin' it real. Don't hide!

Until next week: Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy and stay real. And many of you know what I'll be doing tonight.

peace,

paul

Saturday sides

Finale: The Seidlin Show is over (for now) but not before more drama on the third day. The attorney for Texas, yes, Seidlin affectionately nicknamed his attorneys based on where they were from, fainted due to low blood sugar (he's a diabetic) and Seidlin even offered his credit card so the attorney could get something in him. And he actually got verklempt when he read his own verdict over Anna Nicole Smith's body. The Smith saga isn't over yet but Seidlin's side is; at least until the former Bronx cabbie gets his own tv show or newscast. Maybe he could replace Katie Couric.

O Spinning: So, Mr. Spin himself, Bill O'Reilly, was on the Oprah show this past week. Oprah did a program on protecting our children. O'Reilly made news earlier this year when he said that Shawn Hornbeck, the teen who was recently returned home after missing for four years, had more fun with his abductor than he would have had at home. The comments caused such a stir that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Kids dropped O'Reilly as a keynote speaker at an event next month. Good! But what I want to know is why Winfrey didn't ask O'Reilly about it. I know, there was probably a deal made in order for him to appear but she still could have used the opportunity as some sort of teaching tool. O'Reilly needs to realize that he cannot run roughshod over people; especially when he doesn't have the facts on his side. I admit that I used to like him; I used to like his directness and outspokenness but that was before I realized he twists the truth (when he actually has the truth) and just likes the sound of his own voice.

peace out,

paul

sweet sounds of songs

What I'm enjoying on the radio

Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae; Don't Matter by Akon; U & Ur Hand by Pink; Say It Right by Nelly Furtado and Made To Love by TobyMac.

Crank it up.

paul

paul picks the prizes

It's that time, time for me to guess who will win (and who I think SHOULD win) at this year's Oscar ceremony. You may have heard before that the race is wide open but this year it really and truly is; for some races at least. Such as Best Picture. I really have no clue what will win but I'm going to try to correctly guess all 24 races. Last year I correctly guessed 17 including the acting races and best pic and best director. Here goes:



Best Makeup:

Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth



Sound Mixing:

Should Win: Apocalypto
Will Win: Dreamgirls



Sound Editing:

Should Win: Letters From Iwo Jima
Will Win: Letters From Iwo Jima



Visual Effects:

Should Win: Pirates Of The Caribbean
Will Win: Pirates Of The Caribbean



Costume Design:

Should Win: Curse Of The Golden Flower
Will Win: Marie Antoinette



Original Score:

Should Win: Notes On A Scandal
Will Win: Babel



Original Song:

Should Win: I Need To Wake Up
Will Win: I Need To Wake Up


Animated Feature:

Should Win: Monster House
Will Win: Happy Feet


Animated Short Film:

Should Win: The Danish Poet
Will Win: The Danish Poet



Documentary Feature:

Should Win: An Inconvenient Truth
Will Win: An Inconvenient Truth



Documentary Short Subject:

Should Win: Two Hands
Will Win: The Blood Of Yingzhou District



Live Action Short Film:

Should Win: Eramos Pocos
Will Win: Eramos Pocos



Art Direction:

Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth



Cinematography:

Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth



Film Editing:

Should Win: United 93
Will Win: The Departed



Best Foreign Language Film:

Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Will Win: The Lives Of Others



Best Adapted Screenplay:

Should Win: The Departed
Will Win: The Departed



Best Original Screenplay:

Should Win: Little Miss Sunshine
Will Win: Little Miss Sunshine



Best Supporting Actress: This race is an interesting one. The only one I don't think should win is Abigail Breslin; although I do agree with her nomination. Adriana Barraza did a phenomenal job in Babel (her co-star Rinko Kikuchi did too but her role was not as meaty) and Blanchett is good in just about anything she does. Of course, Hudson, is the girl to beat. It would be neat to see a tie between Hudson and Barraza. This is one category that has never had a tie.

Should Win: Adriana Barraza (call me a heretic)
Will Win: Jennifer Hudson



Best Supporting Actor: This is probably the toughest race to call (outside of best pic) althought Eddie Murphy is the front runner. Alan Arkin didn't give the best performance of his career (see his 60's films) but is the veteran here. Hounsou has also been more memorable than in Blood Diamond and, while Wahlberg could make a sneak attack, I really think the best of the five is Jackie Earle Haley.

Should Win: Jackie Earle Haley
Will Win: Eddie Murphy



Best Actress: Winslet needs to win an Oscar one of these years, and while Streep did a great job with a role that could have been just caricature, she isn't even close (in my opinion). Cruz is even further away although I hope Hollywood now knows what she can do and cast her in the right roles. Dench is deliciously nasty in an un-Queen like role (remember Shakespeare In Love) but this is Mirren's year.

Should Win: Helen Mirren
Will Win: Helen Mirren



Best Actor: Ok, it would have made more sense for Leonardo DiCaprio to be nominated for The Departed instead of Blood Diamond. Will Smith would be the only reason to see The Pursuit Of Happyness and even watching him is a downer. Ryan Gosling gave an impressive look-here-I-am performance but it's so dark (as was the movie). Peter O'Toole has still got it but for the film Venus it's just not enough. See the Forest for the trees this year.

Should Win: Forest Whitaker
Will Win: Forest Whitaker



Best Director: All five of them are good and, while Scorsese has the always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride factor, his film is still good and even surprised me. The best film of the year (again, in my opinion) was United 93 so I would like to see Greengrass win and Frears did do a great job with The Queen. Inarritu probably had the most difficult job with filming in different countries and dealing with a character who was a deaf mute; not to mention that sprawling cast. And Flags Of Our Fathers director Eastwood bested that WWII drama with another one in Letters From Iwo Jima. But I would bet Marty will beat the Hitchcock curse.

Should Win: Martin Scorsese
Will Win: Martin Scorsese



Best Picture:

All five of these films are great in their own right. I think all five are quite worthy to contend. In terms of longevity, Little Miss Sunshine has it. It was released last summer and people are still talking about it and discovering it. That worked for Crash last year; will it work again? The race really is between all five but the front runner seems to be The Departed.

Should Win: Little Miss Sunshine
Will Win: The Departed

paul

this & that Thursday

Where no one knows your name: Hurricane Andrew roared through Florida in August of 1992 and while many of the repairs have probably since been completed (and then some), one woman is just now getting her power back on. An elderly woman has gone 15 years with no hot water, no heat in the winter and no ac in the summer. Thanks to a shoddy contractor she had to stop the repairs when her insurance ran out. Then she couldn't get her house up to code so the electricity was never turned back on. This lady must have been really, really isolated in order for no one to have known she was living like this. How is that even possible? For 15 friggin' years????? Neighbors apparently never noticed (were they miles away from her?) and inspectors never noticed that she was below code to get her power back on. A tip finally got the Miami-Dade mayor and an electrical contractor involved. After just a few hours, she was back up and running in the 21st century.

Up, up, and away: How's this for a medical marvel? A 15-year-old girl has been stricken with intractable involuntary spasms of the diaphragm. Or, hiccups, to make things simpler. The 15-year-old has had them since Jan. 23 and while more than 100 different diseases can cause hiccups. Jennifer Mee hiccups up to 50 times a minute and keeps going and going and going. In Mee's case, the hiccups only stop when she's sleeping. The longest record (if you consider it a record) of hiccups is 69 years and 5 months. Charles Osborne, of Iowa, married twice, had eight children and still lived to his 90's. All the while Osborne hiccupped every 11 1/2 seconds. Now that's incredible. But how do you live a life with hiccups in the way? I get crazy when I hiccup for more than five minutes, I cannot imagine hiccupping for a month or 69 years. I'd have to put myself out of my misery.

Midseason Replacement: Can someone please get Florida Judge Larry Seidlin his own show? Now? This guy is a piece of work. He's presiding over the burial case for Anna Nicole Smith and, if he had his way, he'd preside over the paternity test too. With his Bronx accent he is the ringmaster of this circus. It was the history of the world according to Larry in court yesterday as his Honor waxed wise on chopping trees, wind, and his tennis attire among other topics. His extraneous remarks, repeated commands for people to sit down, and unnecessary questioning and lawyering are turning what could have been a one day event into a weeklong freak show that could soon be going into week two. It's said the case will wrap up on Friday but with Seidlin in charge we could be here for weeks. No word on when the cliffhanger for this reality show, um, case will be aired.

Bevy of Boys: And one final thought: Mitt Romney, president wannabe and voter of an amendment to ban same sex marriage, has five sons. Is not one of these boys gay? Not even one? Well, it's a sure bet that if there IS one who is gay, he'll be stuck in the closet for the rest of his life.

peace,

paul

weekly post from February 17, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

We survived our first major snowstorm of the winter; hey, we're not doing too badly. Thankfully we didn't get anywhere near the amount of snow that Oswego got, more than 100 inches. And it's still really cold but the temps have inched up a bit. On Wednesday morning I made it all the way from work to our road and then got stuck turning on to our road. The snow was so thick (and not yet plowed because schools were closed) that even with front wheel drive I could not go anywhere. After about 5 minutes a guy in a van came along and was going to drive me out as I pushed but just then a plow came along and made a clearing. At that point I just had to get the car moved from the thick snow onto the clear part. I had called Jim and he had a rental car because he was driving to PA for a meeting. He backed out of the driveway and discovered he couldn't go anywhere because of the thick snow. At that point he called back and said he would walk up to me (about 1 mile). Once the plow came and I got unstuck I started driving to the house and passed Jim walking along the road with the shovel (he waved me on to keep going). It was quite frustrating not being able to move at all and being so close to home. Of course I can't imagine being stuck on a highway for almost 24 hours; not able to move, no food, no water, no bathroom. Jim did make it to PA alright (and he did not take I-78) and made it back safely.

Not a lot going on in this part of the world. I hope in your part of the world you are well and having fun.

peace,

paul

Pres. Bush had two benign moles removed from his left temple on Friday and this past week at a press conference, he all but said he didn't know what was going on in Iraq. He mentioned how he's in Washington, in the White House an he has advisers that tell him what it's like over in the Middle East. Well I think it's about time he made another trip over there and really took a look around. He also tried his hand at comedy during his press conference; making jokes, ignoring and evading questions, laughing at his own funnies and even cracking a few reporters up. Sadly the joke was on him because, really, it was not funny haha but funny as in 'what an idiot.'

peace,

paul

This past week, Florida Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ordered new DNA samples from Anna Nicole Smith's body even though the medical examiner said he had plenty of samples. I saw some videotape of the judge meeting with lawyers about Smith's body (the big question is who gets to bury Smith) and this guy is weird. Here's a word for word snippet during the meeting. They were discussing whether Smith's body would start decomposing (just yesterday it was finally ordered to be embalmed).

"The body belongs to me now. It's cold but it won't decompose so fast, that baby is on a cold cold storage room. It's not decaying so fast. I can go over there now and look at it and I can go back in a month and still look at it so there's no rush. We're not rushing; I am not rushing. We're crossing every t and dotting every i; we're gonna spend a lot of time together. It's a nice group." Can we say creepy? Is he even playing with a full deck? That's what I want to know.

Hopefully Smith will be buried soon but she's turning into another Brown scenario. Brown, who died back in December, has yet to be buried himself because of a dispute over his estate. Why can't we just let our deceased have an expedient and honorable burial?

paul

movie minute

Variety Bridge: Fantasy, romance, adventure, and family drama just to name a few genres; the film Bridge To Terabithia wants to be all of these things and then some. The only problem with the film is what's missing.

Jesse Aarons, played by Josh Hutcherson (the non-bratty brother in the film Zathura) is a sullen fifth grader with a rough and poor homelife; he's also a runner as witnessed by his running as the film starts. He's picked on by bullies, most notably by Janice Avery (Lauren Clinton). His world changes when new classmate Leslie Burke (played by AnnaSophia Robb who was deliciously bratty as Violet in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory) a girl who is smart and marches to her own beat.

When Jesse and Lisa discover a rope in the woods, which leads to "the other side" (of the woods) the two embark on an adventure with giants, sword wielding dragonflies, and a smoke monster that is eerily reminiscent of the monster on the tv show Lost. The two conjure up a whole new world in which they must save the prisoners from the Dark Master.

As Jesse gets closer to Lisa he sees that she has the kind of fun-loving, close knit family he longs for. Jesse also has a sibling (a sister in this movie, played by Bailee Madison) who just wants to be included in her brother's adventures. The movie is based on Katherine Paterson's book, a book I never read so I really didn't know what to expect. And I was quite surprised by the plot twist about three-quarters of the way through.

I kept feeling like I was missing a backstory in this movie and I had a lot of questions that just weren't answered. Questions such as: What's the story, if there is one, behind Terebithia? How in the world did Lisa come up with the name Terebithia? Why does Jesse spend so much time just staring at teacher Ms. Edmonds (played by Zooey Deschanel)? My spouse says that I was focused on the wrong things, and maybe I was, but I just felt disconnected almost as if I was watching different movies. Robert Patrick also stars as Jesse's father, Jack.

The film is deep and you may be expecting another movie. I was thinking something more along the lines of Chronicles Of Narnia crossed with Zathura or Jumanji. I didn't hate the movie, in fact I liked a lot of things about it. I think AnnaSophia Robb is an interesting young young actress who could have a big future and I like the family stuff.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.5

paul

free flow Friday cont.

This past week former NBA player, John Amaechi, came out of the closet and came out with a book titled Man In The Middle. Yesterday current NBA player, Tim Hardaway made his thoughts known loud and clear about how he feels. When asked on the program Sports Talk 790 The Ticket, how he would react if he found out one of his teammates was gay, Hardaway said that he and any other player would either ask to get traded or have the gay player traded to another team or have the player's contract brought out. He also said (quoting here), "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I don't, you know, yeah, I am homophobic."

As a result of his comments, the NBA said Hardaway would not play in the upcoming all-star game. Hardaway did apologize but only for making his views about his homophobia known. This guy is a piece of work. If I was a kid and I was a basketball fan, I would toss any paraphernalia I had that featured Hardaway or his number. I think he's the one who should have his contract bought out. How can he (especially as a black man) look himself in the mirror after such blatant bigotry?

Amaechi may have come out of closet and may no longer be playing professional basketball but you can't tell me that there aren't other pro b-ball players who are gay; maybe even on Hardaway's team. And he showers with them (oh, how can he stand it?).

peace,

paul

free flow Friday cont....

Men are you going to New Mexico anytime soon? If so then you might want to check out the new cakes; 500 of them have been ordered. They are not the ones you eat, however. No, these are urinal cakes (see the pic to the left) and S.U. Mahesh, the Transportation Dept. spokesman, says the cakes will target a group that poses a threat to the safety of the people: Men. Yes, men have at least three times as many drunk driving infractions as women so the urinal cakes will hopefully curb those infractions, if not stop them altogether. How? The cakes talk and are triggered by motion. "Hey there, big guy. Having a few drinks? It's time to call a cab or ask a sober friend for a ride home," says the woman's voice that croons up from the cake. Yes, while you are standing there men, not looking left or right, you'll be forced to see the ad and hear the voice. Piss on you, mate, I'm leaving.

peace,

paul

free flow Friday

This is the face of a woman on a coin discovered in a collection from the Society of Antiquaries in Newcastle on Tyne. Oh that chin (pointed), ooh that nose (witch-like), aaahhh that forehead (high). Wasn't she a beauty? Ok, maybe not but she is Cleopatra. It's a coin that Marc Antony fashioned for her and he is on the back. I didn't bother with a picture of him (but he's no looker either) and she looks NOTHING like Elizabeth Taylor. False advertising indeed!

peace,

paul

going gay, not gone

Still think you can pray away the gay? Well, Barbara & Lester Leavitt will tell you differently. After four children and 25 years of marriage, Lester has come out of the closet. Barbara always knew (they usually do) and his coming out has actually brought them closer. Lester valiantly tried to be the perfect husband and father all the while denying his homosexuality until he couldn't do it any longer.

A video today on YouTube by the group Truth Wins Out showed this Mormon couple in a video and exposes how ex-gay ministries really do hurt people and families.

I have never believed in the ex-gay movement (Ted Haggard) and truly believe that being gay is something people are born with. Yes, people can deny who they are; people do it everday in a number of ways and they can even force themselves to do things in order to show that they are "normal" (i.e. have sex with the opposite sex, marry, procreate, etc. etc.....) but they do it at their own peril. You can't truthfully tell me that denying who you are inside is beneficial or not hurtful; I don't buy it.

Another site you might want to check out is www.faithinamerica.com This is a national organization that advocates the "emancipation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from bigotry disguised as religious truth."

Don't hide who you are for ANYONE.

peace,

paul

viewer's choice

I saw a gem of a movie today; one that I'd heard of but never before seen. The impetus for seeing this was Alan Arkin's third Oscar nomination. I knew he had been nominated twice before in the lead actor category so I decided to check out the two movies he was previously nominated for. I watched The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, a 1966 movie (the same year Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and A Man For All Seasons came out) is a funny tale of how one town copes with "invasion." A Soviet submarine hits a sandbar and nine men disembark to find a boat to push themselves free. The hit a small Massachusetts coastal community and what starts out as men looking for a boat turns into a town going into a tizzy. This movie is funny, entertaining, and features a great cast (you have to remember this was 1966; way before Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt or George Clooney) including Eva Marie Saint, a thinner Jonathan "we have to get organized" Winters, Brian Keith, a thin Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin as Lt. Rozanov.

As the townspeople start running around trying to figure out how to stop the Russians and the Russians create more and more havoc, the movie builds to a showdown between the townspeople and the Russians. Just as the tension is the highest something remarkable happens.

This movie was directed by Norman Jewison who also directed The Hurricane, Moonstruck, Agnes Of God, and Fiddler On The Roof. It's also an adaptation of Nathaniel Benchley's novel The Off-Islanders. I've read there are some differences in the book; the book sounds a bit darker than the movie, although the movie does have an undertone of darkness (and one character uses the word raping, in 1966).

A fun movie and a highly recommended one.

Another cool thing was seeing the trailer for the film and seeing just how different movie trailers used to be. The trailers today seem to be designed for the short attention span crowd. The trailers back then were more involved, cleverer, and longer.

peace,

paul

weekly post from February 12, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

I have no excuse for not writing last week; I was just lazy. I'm late this week but I'm at least writing.

It's still cold here in Western, NY although today it is in the high 20's. I was tempted to wear shorts to celebrate after weeks of zero and below temps. They are calling for a storm this week but I'm really really hoping we don't get hit; hopefully it will be kept to a minimum.

The big news this past week was the death of Anna Nicole Smith; it really was similar to the death of her son Daniel five months ago. Smith was a punch line for most, if not all, the time she spent in the spotlight and she seemed to attract scandal no matter where she went. From her marriage to J. Howard Marshall to her Playboy days to the paternity issue of her daughter. This woman, it seemed, could not get a break. I have no idea what her personal life was really like; I only know what I read and see. Some of us may know people who are constantly attracting drama or getting into situations that are not healthy or beneficial to them. It's always a question of, WHY? We try to understand, we try to be supportive, we try to help out but we may continue to ask, WHY?

I have no idea if Smith was unhappy in her life but I do know that many people think happiness comes from the outside. People just do not seem to understand or grasp that that is just the opposite of where happiness starts. 'If I could just have more money, have a better job, have more friends, have a better house, have a better car, be famous, live somewhere exotic......' Yes, those things would be nice but only for a while. After a while something else would come along and it would be, "I want, I want." The people we meet that are truly happy really are the people who know that happiness is something that starts inside of us and goes outward. Let's all strive to be truly happy...from the inside.

peace,

paul

movie minute

This movie just opened in my area and I FINALLY got to see it.

It's the old vs. the new in the Roger Michell directed Venus (R). Peter O'Toole stars as Maurice, the "professor of pussy", as one character describes him; a man who needs pills each day to help him wake up. His best friend is Ian, played by the cantankerous Leslie Phillips. When Ian's great niece comes to help him out with day to day stuff, Maurice is more than happy to take her off of Ian's hands; much to Ian's relief. The her in that sentence is the winsome yet pouty Jessie, played by newcomer Jodie Whittaker.

Soon Maurice faces a health crisis and at the same time he becomes closer to Jessie. He opens her up to culture and takes her shopping; she allows him a smell here and a touch there. Yes, their relationship does get a bit creepy at times and it's not clear how old Jessie is but it sure does smell like she could be jailbait. It's also one of the most dysfunctional early May/late December romances I've ever seen. As Ian becomes aware of their relationship, it threatens to ruin the Maurice/Ian friendship. Some of the best scenes in the movie come from O'Toole and Phillips playing off of each other and the always welcome Richard Griffiths is even thrown in for extra fun. As the relationship becomes more conflicted, the movie looks like it might fall flat but it is redeemed in the end; predictably, but redeemed nonetheless.

O'Toole may have slowed but he's still got it; his blue eyes may have dulled but they are still as piercing as ever. Sadly, the role of the wife, Valerie, is all but wasted in this movie and it's played by Vanessa Redgrave. In my opinion, however, the best scene in the movie is the scene in which Maurice makes dinner for Valerie.

It's not a great movie but it is charming and if you are a fan of O'Toole you won't be disappointed by him.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.5

paul

This & That Thursday

Eye-Catching: All Rev. Philip Andrukaitis wanted to do was make a call to Christians; the call to support Jews and Israel. Instead he created a brouhaha. In Saturday's Portland Press Herald, in Portland, Maine, Rev. Andrukaitis had an article in the Religion & Values section with his sermon title: "The Only Way To Destroy The Jewish Race." Well, alrighty then. The sermon, which dealt with anti-semitism, was reviewed and heard by people in the Jewish religious community and was well-received; it's just the title that was the problem. Not only that but the paper, which has a ban on printing items that may be offensive, somehow let the title through to the publishing stage. Needless to say, Rev. Andrukaitis was apologetic and thankfully his sermon, which talked about how God would not let his chosen people be destroyed, was well-meaning. Talk about letting your title say it all; thankfully the sermon spoke for itself.

Another Outie: Swimming has one, boxing has one, golf, baseball and football all have one. What do they all have in common? They all have a gay player. Now comes B-Ball; John Amaechi, the former pro NBA player, is coming out of the closet and is timing it with the release of his new book, Man In The Middle, out next week. Baseball's Billy Bean, golf's Rosie Jones, swimming's Mark Tewksbury, boxing's Mark Leduc, and football's Dave Kopay, Jerry Smith, Esera Tuaolo, and Roy Simmons have all come out in the past.

Amaechi was born in Boston, MA but raised in Great Britain and played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and played for three years in Europe. I, for one, am looking forward to reading this book. Hopefully others will see him as a role model.

peace out,

paul

weekly post from January 27, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

Another week is behind us and we're downright cold here in Western, NY. Yes, we were socked with plummeting temperatures and, believe it or not, I heard a report this past week about a youth in the midwest who tried to emulate Flick from the movie A Christmas Story. A boy in Wisconsin stuck his tongue out in 9 degree weather and it froze to a stop sign. Eventually he got his tongue unstuck but not without losing some skin (ouch!!!). No word on if anyone "triple dog dared" him.

In other news, this past week I had some drama of my own. Last Sunday evening I had just sat down at the computer to do some emails and I gasped and almost had a coronary. I noticed my ring was missing; the bigger worry was that I had no idea how long or where it had fallen off of my finger. I spent most of Sunday evening driving Jim crazy with my worry and turning over every surface I could move in the house. We searched for our wrench so we could look in the pipes but, of course, those were no where to be found. I had no clue if I lost it in the house, down the drain, or somewhere else. On Monday night while I was at work one of my colleagues said she would bring a wrench to work the next night. Thankfully I didn't need them. On Tuesday evening I went to get a pair of jeans but the top pair had a hole in them so I picked up the pair underneath. At that point I heard a clink in the drawer and when I looked it was my ring. Somehow, maybe after putting lotion on my hands, my ring had fallen off of my finger. I think it was while I was putting away clothes. Jim would have people believe that I have lost so much weight that my fingers have shrunk but I weigh about the same as when we first met. When he wrote about this in HIS weekly email, people assumed that I had taken my ring off. No, that was not the case. What does worry me a bit about this is how I got so upset over the "loss" of the ring. It's not like I lost my spouse; only the symbol of our love. It's not even a ring we exchanged when we got married; we had them long before that. So, why is it that I felt as if a part of me had died? I'm not quite sure yet. I do know that it felt like I was no longer whole and like my life was suddenly different. Many people place no value on symbols; to them it's just another thing but for many symbols are treated with respect much like royalty. I knew when I "lost" my ring that I was still married and that my spouse was right next to me but for some reason it felt like a change had occurred; like I would never be the same again. At least not until I had a new ring. It was really a strange sensation. One that requires more reflection.

That's my story for the week and I'm sticking to it. I hope wherever you are you are safe, happy, and healthy and warm.

peace,

paul

movie minute

Said It First: Diane Keaton's new comedy, Because I Said So (PG-13), is a trite and predictable movie that offers few laughs. Keaton plays Daphne Wilder, a woman who is about to turn 60 who sees it as her personal mission to make sure all three of her daughters marry normal, substantive men. Some would call it meddling, Daphne calls it mothering. She's determined to break daughter Milly's streak of bad luck when it comes to men. What's a mother to do? Well, set up a personal ad looking for Mr. Right for her daughter, of course. Milly is played by doe-eyed and sometime pop singer Mandy Moore. When Daphne finds Mr. Right for her daughter, in the form of architect Jason (Tom Everett Scott) another bloke enters the picture in the form of musician Johnny (Gabriel Macht). This all comes on the heels of Milly proclaiming that she is done with men; lo and behold the men don't seem to be done with her.

Keaton is again playing a variation on her Annie Hall character and her Daphne is very similar to Erica, the woman she played in Something's Gotta Give. The only difference is here she is shrill, overbearing, uptight and thick headed and not in a good way. Watching her is like watching long fingernails clawing their way down a chalkboard. Having said that, I truly think Keaton is talented but this character I didn't like very much at all. Besides this is a role that Keaton can do in her sleep. Likewise, cute and perky Milly is a role Moore could do in HER sleep.

The movie is directed by Michael Lehmann (40 Days And 40 Nights, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Heathers) and really is nothing we haven't seen before; except this particular cast in a movie together. The movie also stars Stephen Collins, Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo. The standout here is Macht whose Johnny is sensitive and down to earth. He reminds me of a young Johnny Depp; only better looking.

If you are in the mood for fun, yes, the movie is fun but predictable then this is your movie.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.5

paul

Free Flow Friday

Let me get this off my chest:

The two men involved in the Cartoon Network hoax who work for the marketing agency that Turner Broadcasting hired have been arraigned and released on bond. The two men placed magnetic boxes with lights in ten U.S. cities, including Boston. The boxes, which really resemble the lite brites that were popular in the 70's and 80's, were meant to advertise the Cartoon Network program Aqua Teen Hunger Force and were apparently in place for several weeks before anyone noticed them. Ok, really, are they so uncreative that they have to put into place boxes that look like bombs? Especially in today's color coded chart climate. The bigger problem here is the overreaction of the politicians and the city. Couldn't they have investigated one of these things before the city practically being shut down? What's more, none of the devices in the other nine cities these devices were placed in caused panic and mayhem. No suspicious reports or bomb squads being called in.

Mayor Gavin Newsom is in trouble. His campaign manager resigned on Wednesday after confronting Newsom. Newsom had an affair with the wife of his campaign manager. Newsom had the affair while going through a divorce. Why? Why? Why? It's bad enough to have the affair but to have the affair and be in the public eye. These things rarely, if ever, stay secret. Now Newsom is up for re-election. Oh, goody, now the fun starts.

President Bush is going to ask Congress for another 100 billion dollars for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush must think that Congress is just one big money machine. Where in the hell do we get all of that money? Really! We must be like the richest nation in the whole universe.

And the seventh Harry Potter book will hit shelves on July 21 of this year. Two characters will die in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows but if you don't want to wait until July to get your fix you can see 17-year-old Daniel Radcliffe (that's Harry Potter for you wizards) on the stage starting this month. Radcliff will be starring in a revival of Peter Shaffer's controversial play Equus. The play will be shown in London's West End and the role will require Radcliffe to appear in the buff. Needless to say parents all across the country are in a tizzy. Many kids look up to Radcliffe, er, um, Potter and will be shocked to see their hero in a new light. Ok, first of all, Potter is a fictional character; secondly it's London. How many kids in this country are going to be going to London's West End and getting tickets to see the show? And finally the play should not be seen by anyone under 16 anyway. I just made that number up but the play really is not a play that parents should be taking their kids to see anyway. The main character blinds six horses and is psychotic.

Ok, my stream of consciousness is over.

peace,

paul

stating the obvious

My thanks to my friend Lady Di for sending me this. These, in my opinion, are funny. The comments after each one are my own (changed from the original comments)....

In Honour of Stupid People . . . In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down." (Oh, crap!)

On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts." (you're kidding! How is that possible?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication." (make sure your 3-year-old is not the designated driver...wouldn't be prudent)

On Marks &Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating." (let's see...oven=heat, ok, yeah I guess it would be hot).

On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping. (Isn't that the best time to use it? One less thing I'd have to do when I wake up)

On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (...and officer, that's why I stole the bag.)

On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap." (Wait! How do I use regular soap???)

On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost." (But you don't have to; if you like literally frozen dinners).

On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body." (Why? What could happen? And would that be my body or your body?)

On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness." (Is that not the point?)

On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only." (Is there ANOTHER use I don't know about?)

On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use." (I'll take, "What is the OTHER use" for $500, please).

On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.." (like ohmygosh, I don't get it......)

On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." (Damnit, why did I buy this stupid costume? I knew I should have chosen Batman).

On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals." (Was this really a problem somewhere? SCARY!)

peace,

paul

Stick 'em up, now put it down, no, really, put it down.

Mozart, the manly and mobile iguana in Belgium, has a problem. A serious one. It seems that Mozart got an erection and kept it; for over a week. Unfortunately for Mozart, since the erection has gone strong for so long, he will have to have the sexual organ amputated. In fact, by the time you read this it may already be done. Thankfully for Mozart male iguanas have two penises. The really sad part of this is that Mozart was jilted by his lover during the sex act. And as a result of the long lasting erection, it is now becoming infected. Love really does hurt. What I want to know, however, is why the second one wasn't erect. How does only one become erect and not the other? Hmmmmmm........

Well, here's hoping that Mozart uses the remaining organ wisely and doesn't get too excited.

peace,

paul

breaking it down

Much to my surprise, I actually predicted better than last year. It's still not great but out of 40 nominees (in the major races) I correctly predicted 32; beating last year's number, 29. The host for this year's show is Ellen DeGeneres. Yes, an out lesbian will be hosting the show which will be broadcast to a billion people around the world. She's proved herself time and time again to be funny, sharp, current and witty without being vulgar.

With that, I'll break down the nominees:

Adapted Screenplay- Borat is the only one of the five I did not correctly predict. The rest of the nominees are not surprising. Dreamgirls and Thank You For Smoking were shut out of this race.

Original Screenplay- No surprises here either. Shut out of this race were The Good Shepherd and Stranger Than Fiction (a terrific film that should be seen on video if missed at the theater).

Supporting Actor- I was surprised by the nominees of Alan Arkin and yes, Mr. Underwear model himself, Mark Wahlberg. In fact, Wahlberg, Eddie Murphy, and Jackie Earle Haley all score their first nomination. Djimon Hounsou scores his second nod and Arkin was last nominated for the 1968 film The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter but lost to Cliff Robertson. This is his third nod. Shut out of this race were Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland), Michael Sheen (The Queen), Brad Pitt (Babel) and Academy darling Jack Nicholson (The Departed) who almost seems to get nominated for just about any movie he does anymore. One other actor I think it would have been nice to see in this category is Kazunari Ninomiya. Who????? Kazunari Ninomiya. He gave a touching performance in the film Letters From Iwo Jima as Saigo, a young soldier who just wants to get back home to his wife and newborn.

Supporting Actress- The only veteran in this race is Cate Blanchett who scores her third nomination. Everyone else is a first-timer. Abigail Breslin, Jennifer Hudson, Rinko Kikuchi, and Adriana Barraza. Shut out were Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration) and Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction) both of whom got some Oscar whispers when their films came out. And for the record I correctly predicted all five.

Actor- I didn't do too bad on this category but I should have known Ryan Gosling would get a nod, his first. Another first is Forest Whitaker. Will Smith gets his second nod and Leonardo DiCaprio gets his second lead actor nod and his third total. He was nominated for Blood Diamond which I was surprised about because his performance in The Departed was much more layered and didn't have an annoying accent tied to it which I actually thought detracted from his performance in Diamond. It just didn't make sense for him to get a nod for this film. The other nominee is Peter O'Toole who scores his eighth nod. The last time he was nominated was for the 1982 film My Favorite Year; he lost to Ben Kingsley. Shut out of this race were Edward Norton (The Painted Veil), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), and Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine).

Actress- Another category in which I correctly predicted all five. Penelope Cruz is the only newbie in this category. Kate Winslet gets her third lead nomination and her fifth overall; Helen Mirren scores her first lead nomination and her third overall; Judi Dench gets her fourth lead nod and her sixth overall; and the veteran is Meryl Streep who scores her fourteenth nod; that's two more than Katherine Hepburn ever got. Shut out were Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby) which I was actually surprised by but still did not predict she would be in the race, Annette Bening (Running With Scissors) not a surprise she was shut out, however, and Naomi Watts (The Painted Veil).

Picture- The only surprise here is the inclusion of the one film I did not correctly predict; Letters From Iwo Jima. Dreamgirls, the winner of the comedy/musical Golden Globe did not score a nod which probably elicited dropped jaws all over Hollywood. Shut outs were Little Children (was nominated for a Globe) and United 93 (which I thought was the best picture of last year). Thankfully the director got a nod. Which brings us to....

Director- There are two newbies: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Paul Greengrass who both get nods for their films. Stephen Frears scores his second nod. The last time he was nominated was for the 1990 film The Grifters; he lost to Kevin Costner. Clint Eastwood scores his fourth nomination for directing and the man currently tied with Alfred Hitchcock for most nominations and no wins, Martin Scorsese, scores his sixth nod. If he loses this one, he'll be setting another record for the night. Shut out Pedro Almodovar for Volver and, of course, Bill Condon was shut out for Dreamgirls.

Totally shut out of the major races were Bobby (early on considered a favorite for some nods), The Good German (which I've yet to see because it hasn't opened in my area yet), and The Painted Veil (a film I actually liked).

It will be interesting to see what happens come Feb. 25. The best picture race is actually wide open at this point thanks to the omission of Dreamgirls. I've got my pick for who should win and with a little bit more watching, I'll make predictions of who will win.

One final thought: In 2005, two of the acting races scored wins for black actors. In 2007, that number could increase by one. Forest Whitaker seems a lock to win the best actor race; Jennifer Hudson is the favorite to win the supporting actress race; and, buzzworthy Eddie Murphy seems poised to win supporting actor. That would leave only one white winner come Feb. 25; Helen Mirren who seems a lock to win best actress. This could be a history making year.

Stay tuned.....

peace,

paul

Picture

weekly post from January 20, 2007

Friends & loved ones,

Another week has passed and we've got a cold snap going here in the Northeast. It's a balmy 18 degrees right now; yeah, balmy if you live on Mount Everest. We had a quiet day today and had no place to go. Oh, well, Jim did go shopping earlier while I did some cleaning around the house.

Last season, Jim and I started watching American Idol and really enjoyed it; me more than him. The audition phase or the "place where you find the next Willam Hung" as I call it, is entertaining but there's something crueler going on during these auditions than the acerbities that come out of Simon Cowell's mouth. I've no doubt that many of the people who audition and don't make it through go just for the thrill of being on tv. However, many of the people who audition and do, to put it tactfully, not have it, seriously think they have a shot and have no sense of how they sound. That's a problem and it's indicative of society in general. People shy away from constructive criticism for fear of hurting someone's feelings. I'd rather have my feelings hurt, however briefly, than go on national tv and become a punchline, a cruel joke, the reason people are laughing and not with me. We should never have delusions about talent; about whether we have it or not. Just because we are good at something doesn't mean we are the best. We should be aware of what we are good at and what we're not good at and hone any talent we have everyday because, it's true what they say, if we don't use it we lose it. We shouldn't rely on ourselves to determine if we are good at something or not and we should always get constructive criticism. The problem is families, friends, relatives, etc... give false praise and not enough emphasis to other talents that may not be so readily apparent. It's a problem because then we see so many deluded people auditioning on national tv. That doesn't mean they should be jeered or cruelly laughed at and made fun of but it does mean that they should never have made it to that point.

Next time someone asks you your opinion about something think before you speak. Are you giving the person false praise or being honest with them?

peace,

paul

predictions for nominations

First of all, the shorter season for the Academy Awards is actually damaging the Oscars and they probably don’t even realize it. The nominations used to come out in mid February and were handed out in late March. There was even a time the awards weren’t handed out until April. I’m convinced the shorter time span is the reason why last year Felicity Huffman didn’t win Best Actress and Amy Adams didn’t win Best Supporting Actress; they should have. I’m convinced it’s because voters didn’t have enough time to see these movies, these performances. That, and in Huffman’s case, the performance was too daring, too edgy but that’s no excuse. In fact, when looking at the major nominations from the Golden Globes, there are still four movies that I haven’t seen. Thankfully, two of them will be released on video before the Oscars and the other two should be released in Rottenchester, oops, I mean Rochester, before Feb. 25. I think that Reese Witherspoon and Rachel Weisz were good but they weren’t the best in their respective categories. Adams’s performance in Junebug is exactly the kind of performance the Academy has historically relished rewarding in the Supporting Actress category. Check out past winners such as Dianne Wiest in Hannah And Her Sisters, Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist, even Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. These performances are the “breakthrough” and “revelation” performance. And considering that many cities have their own awards that are handed out (Boston, LA, NY, etc…), in order for the Oscars to still stay relevant, they need to do something to make sure all of the contenders (especially those who should be winning) are viewed.

Having said that, it's Sunday night and the Academy Award nominations will be announced at 8:30am EST in two days, Jan. 23, 2007. Here are the ones I'm predicting will get recognized.



Best Picture:

Babel
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Departed
The Queen



Best Director:

Martin Scorsese-The Departed
Stephen Frears-The Queen
Bill Condon-Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood-Letters From Iwo Jima
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-Babel
(wild card) Paul Greengrass-United 93



Best Screenplay (Original):

Babel
The Queen
Little Miss Sunshine
Stranger Than Fiction
Pan's Labyrinth
(wild card)-Volver



Best Screenplay (Adapted):

The Departed
Little Children
Children Of Men
Thank You For Smoking
Notes On A Scandal



Best Supporting Actor:

Eddie Murphy-Dreamgirls
Djimon Hounsou-Blood Diamond
Jackie Earle Haley-Little Children
Ben Affleck-Hollywoodland
Jack Nicholson-The Departed



Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett-Notes On A Scandal
Jennifer Hudson-Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza-Babel
Rinko Kikuchi-Babel
Abigail Breslin-Little Miss Sunshine



Best Actor:

Forest Whitaker-The Last King Of Scotland
Peter O'Toole-Venus
Will Smith-The Pursuit Of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio-The Departed
Sacha Baron Cohen-Borat



Best Actress:

Judi Dench-Notes On A Scandal
Meryl Streep-The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet-Little Children
Helen Mirren-The Queen
Penelope Cruz-Volver
(I should mention a possibility: Maggie Gyllenhaal-Sherrybaby).

peace,

paul

Humor

Good ole Red Skelton and long live clean humor......

Red Skelton's Perfect Recipe For Marriage:

Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship. She goes on Tuesdays, I go on Fridays.

We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California and mine is in Texas.

I take my wife everywhere..... but she keeps finding her way back.

I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric bread maker. She said "There are too many gadgets and no place to sit down!" So I bought her an electric chair.

My wife told me the car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked where the car was; she told me "In the lake."

She got a mud pack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

She ran after the garbage truck, yelling "Am I too late for the garbage?" .... The driver said "No, jump in!"

Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

I married Miss Right I just didn't know her first name was Always.

I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don't like to interrupt her.

The last fight was my fault though! My wife asked "What's on the TV?" I said "Dust!"

peace,

paul

Darwin

I received the list of 2006 Darwin award recipients. It's a yearly commemoration of people who accidentally(?) remove themselves from the human race. Please let these next ten people be a caution, a deterrent of sorts.


In Detroit , a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys. Whatever happened to calling AAA?

A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran," accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run. How about running in an enclosed space?

Buxton , NC : A man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug caved in on him. Beach-goers said Daniel Jones, 21, dug the hole for fun, or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach, on the outer banks, used their hands andshovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge , VA , but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital. How about wearing a hood for protection from the wind. Or a hat.

Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc , CA , as he fell face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth, to keep his hands free, rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor. They do have those miners hats with the lights on the hats.

This one an annual qualifying event: Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in Selbyville, Del, as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger. Just stupid!!!

The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree in Washington, DC appeared to be the robber's first (and last), due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:
1) His target was H&J Leather & Firearms - a gun shop specializing in handguns.
2) The shop was full of customers (firearms customers).
3) To enter the shop the robber had to step around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door.
and
4) A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer, with a 9mm GLOCK 17, and the clerk, with a .50 DESERT EAGLE, promptly returned fire, assisted by several customers who also drew their guns, several of whom also fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt in the exchange of fire. Reminds me of that comedy routine that Bill Engvall did called "There's Your Sign" (Stupidity Sign)

HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in AndoverTownship , NJ, and his wife Bonnie was also injured, when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but the window was closed. They obviously led very dull lives.

RUNNER UP: TACOMA , WA. Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men, apparently still drinking, trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge where Bingham had volunteered to jump, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham pointed out a coil of lineman's cable that laid nearby. One end of the cable was secured around his leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy salt water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say" said Bingham, is that God was watching out for me on that night, there's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was not located. Thankfully the cable wasn't tied around his waist.

AND THE WINNER: Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt ( Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant Stefan 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let it fly, suffocating the keeper under 200 pounds of dung. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him," said stunned Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. "With no one there to help him, he laid under all that dung for at least an hour before a watchman came along, and during that time he suffocated." If anything, this proves "S**t happens." I'm guessing he didn't have a grin on his face when he died.

paul