The Wry Side of Life

Recently, I had this conversation with somone. I told them that I really enjoyed "Precious" and recommended that they go see it. The person responded, "I don't think I would want to see that. It's too intense." I feel that the time has come for somebody to read between the lines and call some folks out. The reason why most people are hesistant about Precious is because it depicts a life full of abuse, rape, and poverty. Things that truly happen here in America. I was reading an article on Entertainment Weekly about how the box office has slowed for Precious. Several people kept saying that they preferred "The Blind Side" because it was a more uplifting movie. I think they like "The Blind Side", because it portrays an America they want to see and believe in. They want a world where racism and poverty are briefly mentioned, tucked away in a corner to be forgotten. Yeah, you can feel good about a world where you can shove its ugli

I have been busy with finals so there has been a huge gap between when all the Adam Lambert controversey began. However, I'd like to focus my attention on the music video for the song "For Your Entertainment". I got this odd sense while watching the video that there were things quite off about it. The best way to explain it is to say it didn't feel like he was being true to himself. I do not know if the video was made before or after his AMA performance, but it seemed like they had wanted to portray him as straight. He doesn't eye, touch or glance in the direction of a guy. However, the women in the video have their hands all over him. Will there every be a time that a gay man can be felt up by another man? He has outed himself in RollingStone, why does he have to deny who he is because people are uncomfortable? I'm tired of the double standard of seeing girl on girl action because that is considered more socially acceptable.

I have to say 2009 has been a bust for Fall premieres. There hasn't been one new show that I've added to my DVR that I felt was worth watching. I really tried to like Glee, but I think it would be easier just to download the songs from Itunes or watch it on Youtube. It breaks one of my cardinal rules: you have to like the main characters. I don't buy Rachel and Finn as a couple. I don't understand her attraction to him because he is a putz. I thought Modern Family was enjoyable, but thought the documentary aspect would grow stale. I've got two words for Vampire Diaries--it sucks! However, there are two new shows I really like. First, is Drop Dead Diva . I enjoy the court cases and Brooke Elliott(Jane) is a joy in the lead role. I also like the supporting cast. I enjoy the character Fred and would like to see him become Jane's love interest. The other show is Becoming Human . It's on BBC America and it has a lot of supernatural elements. If you enjoy vampires

I cannot describe how much I love the Torchwood series. It is one of the most well-written, and well-acted pieces of television, and yes I will go there and say I like it way more than BSG (remake version). Watching the mini-series left me speechless and wanting more. The show doesn't pull any punches; nor does it strive to be uplifting. It puts the characters into situations where the answers are never easy, and the choices can often be devastating . The thing that has always anchored the show from being completely depressing and without hopes is Eve Myles character Gwen. Her and her husband Rhys are a breath of fresh air in this series. The story of Torchwood : Children of Earth can be described as aliens come down and demand 10% of Earth's children. We later learn that the children are like drugs for the aliens. According to one, "They give off chemicals. Chemicals are good." In what I thought was a very realistic and yet disgusting to contemplate at the same

I've been following the comments made by Megan Fox towards Michael Bay and his films. Basically, she said his films weren't challenging in the acting department and relied too much on special effects. Bay responded that she didn't know what she was talking about. Then he went on to say how he "made" Will Smith and Shia LeBouf's film careers. Excuse me? You "made" their careers, I think you must be mistaken! Will Smith had a career long before he starred in "Bad Boys". He was part of a rap duo called Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. He even starred in his own tv series. What made his career in films was not starring in "Bad Boys", it was actually a combination of " Independence Day" and "Men in Black" that put him on the map. He also, starred in a drama called "Six Degrees of Separation " that made people take notice of him as a dramatic actor. As for Shia LeBouf , Steven Spielberg was

In one of my favorite movies Wall Street, Gordon Gecko says, "Greed is good". In the excessive media attention and saturation of the TLC show Jon & Kate Plus 8, it's beginning to look as if everybody has taken that message to heart. The producers of the show to the title "stars" themselves. They've sold their souls for fame, money and good ol' fashion greed. It's quite disgusting actually, and I don't think I will be tuning in for this train wreck. I've avoided watching the new shows, because I believe reality shows are turning down a dark path. How badly do we want to see people self-destruct and hurt themselves? Is it entertaining to watch a family fall apart? I hope TLC can make the right decision and end this show. I don't think I can stomach the idea of these two people trying to keep a show going in order to fill their bank accounts.

June 2, 2009 will be a day that will be forever etched into my memory. I went with my friend Karen to the Dodgers games vs the D-backs. We were both having a rough day, and were in desperate need of a good time. Boy, did we get one. It started out slow, by the time we entered the stadium one of the D-back players hit a grandslam. The score was 5-0. A glimmer of hope appeared when Andre Ethier hit a homerun. After that it seemed like the Dodgers were going nowhere fast offensively. In fact, a majority of the fans started leaving at the 7th inning. Defensively you had plays that stopped the D-back offense cold. Good plays were made by Casey Blake and Orlando Hudson. Hudson actually fell into the stands trying to catch a foul ball. He is definetly one of the best defensively that I have ever seen. To top the night was the come from behind win. James Loney hit a double and it brought three guys in to tie the game. Loney moved to third on a wild pitch. It all came down to Ca

While I was working on my weekend job, the power went out in my area. This is where I collect the money, both the register and credit card machine were down. I had let people in and told them we'll find them and they could pay later. What is the likelihood that they would come back and pay? Actually I had three young ladies come back. They were insistent upon paying. It made me feel good that there were a few honest people out there. I told them most people would have just left. In this downward spiral we've seem to be in, and it's only going to get worse in California--it's nice to know that cyncism and taking advantage of a situation have not become the norm. All I can say is bless their hearts, and I hope good karma will continue to come their way.

I've got the Dodger Blues, and not in a good way. Several weeks ago it came out that Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance. My initial reaction was denial, and let's wait for all the facts to come out before we pass judgement. Then when I heard that the banned substance was one that someone takes when they are getting off of steroids--my heart sank. For the past couple of months, my apartment manager has been telling me "just you wait, it's going to come out next that Manny Ramirez took steroids". I took a let's wait and see. In the back of my mind it's seemed possible, but I hoped that it wasn't the case. That the effortless home runs that Manny hit were from natural talent. In some ways I think we've come to idolize people like singers, sports figures, politicians, etc as being god-like. As if they were untouchable from human frailties. I think we need to snap out of that mentality. Deep down we are all humans, we make colossal mis

I noticed an interesting trend the other day on two of the shows I watch on the CW 90210 and Privileged. Both shows feature an interracial couple, one is straight the other is gay. One of the partners is African-American while the other is white. What disturbed me until last Tuesday (Feb. 10, 2009) was that neither couple was ever shown kissing on the lips. The camera would capture the kiss from a angle where you would see the back of someone's head. I found this annoying, because I've never seen this done. You always see at least the lips touching especially with straight couples. This had several implications for me. Was the censorship of these couples part of because we had a Republican administration in office at that time? Or could it be part of an even more disturbing implication that interracial relationship are on par with gay relationships. That they are things that shouldn't be promoted and have to be watered down to the point where it seems more like a friendshi

I had bought this book sometime last year and just had a chance to finally read it. I had five people tell me already how much they enjoyed the book. It seems to have struck a nerve for some people and I wanted to see if it would have the same effect on me. I enjoyed the section in Italy. Part of the reason could be that I wanted to know if she was going to have a torrid affair with an Italian guy. Alas she did not, I guess it keeps it from going the Under the Tuscan Sun (movie version) route and avoids all those tourist cliches. Another part that I enjoyed was when she was describing the pizza she bought in Naples. Man, I could only wish that slice of pizza had manifested itself in real life. Now I really got to save up and travel! The India section was the weakest part of the book for me. I didn't buy the whole New Age conversion--that the constant meditation changed her spiritual well-being. Is it really about meditating that changes one's life or is it the opport

I watched the movie The Reader last Friday and it left me perplexed. I'm unsure about how I feel about the film and the way it approached its subject. The film is about a young boy who has an affair with an older woman. Later on in his life he happens upon her trial and he is keeping a secret of his own. I think the film brought up a lot of tough questions and I'm not sure if there is a good answer or a perfect response. 1. Would it be possible for someone who was a Nazi guard, who was responsible for the deaths of Jewish prisoners to achieve some sort of forgiveness? Can this person be redeemed? 2. Could that same person ever re-enter society and function as a normal human being? 3. Is the next generation doomed to repeat or doomed to forget the past? Watch the movie and let me know what your thoughts are.

I just watched the movie Ghost Town and I loved it! I didn't have high expectations going in. One of my least favorite writers David Koepp wrote and directed it. I have to say if this is how he writes when he's not doing a Spielberg movie I'd like to see more of it. What it made good was Ricky Gervais performance as a dentist, but I also think the supporting cast deserves kudos as well. Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear are the types of actors that are grossly underrated. I also, have to commend Aasif Mandvi who played Dr. Prashar , his patient co-worker. The gist of the movie is Ricky Gervais ' character Dr. Pincus is a major jerk. He's annoying and disrespectful to everyone. His first encounter with Gwen (Tea Leoni's character) results in him pushing the door close elevator so she can't get on. Greg Kinnear's character, Frank is cheating on his wife and planning to buy a pad for him and his mistress. Before all is said and done in a freak accident