Monday, March 01, 2004
He first went into the hospital about a week ago because his leg was swollen due to blood clots. Since Lopez is a big guy his doctor originally thought that this was due to his heart. After further testing it was discovered that the clots were due to cancer, not just any cancer but lung cancer. As you can imagine this was surprising to him, because he quit smoking well over 25 years ago.
I can not imagine what it would be like to suddenly discover you have cancer through what was at first a very innocuous and treatable ailment. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Lopez family. I hope that he will be on the radio for many years to come fighting the good fight for the liberal cause.
I watched the Academy Awards last night with overwhelming glee. It was a clean sweep for one of my all time favorite movie trilogies, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The movie picked up awards in all 11 categories they were nominated in. Way to go Peter Jackson! I have to say that even though I absolutely love PJ’s movie, I have the feeling that if he wasn’t a movie director he’d own a comic book shop. He just has this overwhelming geeky look to him.
I have to admit that I was a little saddened that Johnny Depp was beat out of the best actor award by that noted psycho, Sean Penn. I know it’s been years since Penn has snapped and pummeled a photographer. I’m sure that one of these days he’ll snap especially with his new found Oscar popularity.
On the Oscar fashion front it seemed like all of the actresses were wearing white or pale colors last night.
My favorite dress of the evening was Renee Zellweger’s. I loved the simple elegance of her dress. It was almost as if Renee asked herself, what would Barbie wear?
The worst dress was Uma Thurman’s. It’s kind of hard for me to describe it. It looked lacy, had what appeared to be a gold vest attached or were those suspenders? Whatever she had on it didn't look right. This woman used to be a model. She ought to know better.
Overall, I enjoyed watching the glamour and pageantry of the awards show. Also, I'm on a cloud nine because my movie won Best Picture and Director. Hobbits Rule!!!!
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Two plays I’d like to see that are currently running at other local theatres are Proof and The Producers. Proof is running at Everyman Theatre until March 6, 2004. The Producers is playing at the newly renovated Hippodrome Theatre until March 14, 2004. The Hippodrome is practically in my hood. I really want to get tickets there. However, from the crowd I see gathering there it appears to be a high class joint. My one hope this week is to be able to attain cheap seats for either of these shows. Most likely I’ll end up seeing Proof.
As usual I can’t wait for the Academy Awards to come on. I hope that Lord of the Rings wins best picture and that Peter Jackson nets the best director award. Also, I really want Johnny Depp to win. He was absolutely amazing in the Pirates of the Caribbean. I can’t wait to see all the glitz and glamour that the Oscars bring.
Thursday, February, 26, 2004
Yikes!! I just heard that Howard Stern has been pulled from all the Clear Channel Stations he’s on. However, he’s still safe in Baltimore on Infinity Broadcast owned Live 105.7 I doubt that Mel will pull the plug on his golden goose. Then again it’s hard to say in the climate that were in.
On a side note, I feel horrible for admitting this but, I find myself getting aroused whenever I look at how much money Mel makes, his bonus’ stock options and all. Is that wrong so? I guess I’m a closeted gold digger. I’m against marriage for myself only if he’s close to having more money than God.
Anyway, this whole Stern suspension episode is ironic in a way because Clear Channel is responsible for that laughing hyena on DC 101, Elliot in the Morning. On the hyena’s show you can regularly hear cuss words being slipped out on air. So I suppose that Clear Channel feels that sexual/racial innuendo is more damaging to hear than actual foul language. Verrrry Interesting.
These are scary times in which we live. First Bush wanting to ban gay marriages, then the Christ movie, and now Stern being pulled off the radio in 6 states. All I want to know is how long before the Taliban shows up?
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Today The Passion of the Christ opens up. Ironically enough (Yea, right!) on Ash Wednesday. I suppose I would feel differently about this opening up on Ash Wednesday if I heard that Mel Gibson would be donating the proceeds of this movie to charity. First off, I don’t pretend to be a Bible scholar. I’ve never been to a church on a Sunday a day in my life. I’m Wiccan and my family originates from the West Indies. No, I’ve never performed any voodoo. I have nothing against Christianity or Christians. Like the song goes, Jesus is all right with me.
Back to the Christ movie.....
I’ve never seen it and do not plan on seeing it in a movie theater.... I’ll rent it instead. I don’t want to waste $20 or whatever outrageous amount it costs to see movies these days simply because I find it disturbing that Mel “Mad Max” Gibson is directing it. This man has done nothing but appear in violent movie after movie. It’s almost as if by making this movie Gibson hopes to atone for his acting choices. Which from what I hear from reviews is kind of ironic because this is a violent film about the last twelve hours of Christ’s life.
On a side note, Gibson was raised by an anti-semetic kook, Hutton Gibson. His father has made claims that Vatican II was a ploy by the Jews also he says that all of his children are behind him. Also Mel Gibson belongs to a kooky extremist Catholic sect that does not follow Vatican II and has all of their services in Latin.
I don’t know if the Christ movie is anti-semetic or not I’ve never seen it. However, if you look at all of the things his father has said to the press over the years coupled with Gibson’s extremist Catholic beliefs. It kind of makes you feel, I don’t know....
Things I hate about a movie I’ve never seen. I hate the title of the movie. Why not call it the Passion ”of” Christ instead of the Passion of ”the” Christ? I find using ”the” in a way disrespectful. It’s putting Christ on the level of a borderline megalomaniacal twit like “the” Donald aka Donald Trump. I mean he’s Christ, no “the” needed! What did I miss something? Was there another guy named Christ mentioned in the bible? I think not! My other gripe, is that the movie’s not in English it’s in Aramaic with subtitles. This I feel is overkill. Let’s see the movie is directed by an American, (Gibson never gave up his American citizenship when his family moved to Australia in the 60’s) and stars and an American. Also I hate that Jim Caviezel is playing Jesus. Caviezel has been in lousy movie after lousy movie.
I find it weird that people are going to a Hollywood movie, to get religion. I mean if you want religion go to church! I mean has anyone ever been saved while watching Mel Gibson movies like Lethal Weapons? I don’t recall anyone ever yelling out, “Hallelujah, I see the error of my ways. I’m coming back home to Jesus! Lord have Mercy!!” as Murtaugh blows away another bad guy.
People, you can not expect to find religion or be saved by watching a movie. Read your bibles! Go to church! Yes, I know this might sound odd for a pagan to be saying. However, as a Wiccan we do not believe in proselytizing or going around and saying my religion is better than yours. Frankly, I feel that if you're a Christian, be a Christian. Go to church, read your bibles, avoid this movie, at least until it comes out at the local barber shop or if you don’t live near a black barber shop then wait till it comes out cable ..... Me? I’ll probably rent it when it comes out on Netflix, maybe double bill it with Scorces’ The Last Temptation of Christ.
Today, at work the streak has come to an end. For the past 2 and a half weeks Arnold has worn a long sleeve short to work. Now he’s back to the short sleeved Forest Gump look. Maybe, it was the Christ movie that made him repent and revert back to the short sleeves. Why write about this you ask? Well, it was shocking to see someone who seems to have been born wearing a short sleeved button down cotton shirt suddenly wearing long sleeves.
Today I heard the most asinine thing ever, Bush’s proposal to start a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriages. This is so transparently homophobic and divisive that I’m speechless. Let’s see what am I as a voter most worried about in the world, job losses, health care costs, the economy, the war in Iraq, or gay marriages.
The economy continues to lag, and the president’s own spotty military history is back in the news, in sharp contrast to John Kerry’s record as a decorated Vietnam War hero and this is all Bush can come up with to fight back? This whole issue makes Republicans appear mean and backward-looking. They look like morality police peeking inside people’s bedroom’s. This blatantly divisive tactic to me is reason 1002 why the Shrub must be voted out of office. This whole thing reeks of desperation on the part of the Republican Party.
First off there shouldn’t be any of that half assed legal union stuff or whatever they call it. The term legal union reeks of 50’s era separate but equal terminology. Gays should have the right to be married with a marriage license issued from city hall or wherever you get marriage licenses from. They should have the right to be married and miserable like the majority of married people in America are.
To all those married folks and religious zealots out there who feel that gay marriages some how ruins the sanctity of marriage I say get a divorce or don’t get married if you feel that way. It’s obvious to me that you are the type of person who’s itching for any reason to end your marriage. It’s like saying that if blacks can do it then it ruins everything. You know if you feel that way then you’re a racist. No, I don’t want to hear how your best friend is black, or that you like rap music. You are a racist. If you feel that if gays get married then it ruins everything. If you feel that way then you are homophobic. No, I don’t want to hear how you like to watch Will and Grace or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. You are homophobic.
In my opinion this all started on February 4, 2004 when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that gay couples must be given the right to marry. I applaud the Massachusetts court decision as well as San Francisco’s recent rush to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. I say if you want to ruin your life straight or gay and get married go for it!
