News about Batman, Deadwood, Arrested… a Hollywood legend dies, and a my personal revenge against “John Tucker Must Die”...
I don't know about you, but its opening day and I'm ALREADY sick of hearing about "John Tucker Must Die."
Yes, it's very funny for women to humiliate and destroy men. When men do that to women, it's bad, but when women do it to men, it's great. For those of us who grew up in the post-feminist era, it's all too common – what's good for the goose is NOT, in fact, good for the gander.
Target, the chain store, advertises and sells a shirt for little girls that say "Boys Stink." Is there another shirt for boys that say "I Hate Girls"? Of course not, because that would be offensive. But telling girls it's okay to hate boys, that is just fine.
I was raised in a liberal household. I watched my father bust his ass at work, and then when he came home he would bust ass around the house. That isn't to say my mother didn't work just as hard – of course she did, but she got CREDIT for working hard. My father didn't. My father was just being a man and doing what he should have done. He doesn't get appreciation for that. All the praise goes to mothers.
All my life I've had to hear that women are better at this, women are better at that, women are stronger, women are smarter, women live longer, etc. etc. And STILL men are expected to bend over backwards to kiss their asses for everything and anything they do. Even though any woman around will tell you how much better they are then men.
I'm a feminist through and through. Women are as good as men, in general. And you know what else, women are as BAD as men, too. Every nasty thing women say about men is also true about themselves. And it's high time that everyone recognized that – yes, we know that women are subjugated in many cultures, but America isn't one of them. In America, women are put on pedestals, and I, for one, and sick of looking up at them.
In the spirit of this rant, let me present to you a story I found on line that probably isn't true, but I hope to hell that it is…
This is a true story about a recent wedding that took place at Clemson University. It was in the local newspaper and even Jay Leno mentioned it. It was a large wedding with about 300 guests... At the reception after the wedding, the groom got up on stage with a microphone to talk to the crowd. He said he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from long distances, to support them at their wedding. He especially wanted to thank the bride's and his family and to thank his new father-in-law for providing such a lavish reception. As a token of his deep appreciation he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift just from him. So taped to the bottom of everyone's chair, including the wedding party, was an envelope. He said this was his gift to everyone, and asked them to open their envelope. Inside each manila envelope was an 8x10 glossy of his Bride having sex with the best man. The groom had gotten suspicious of them weeks earlier and had hired a private detective to tail them. After just standing there, just watching the guests' reactions for a couple of minutes, he turned to the dumbfounded crowd and said, "I'm outta here." He had the marriage annulled first thing in the morning. While most people would have canceled the wedding immediately after finding out about the affair, this guy goes through with the charade, as if nothing were wrong. His revenge...making the bride's parents pay over $32,000 for a 300 guest wedding and reception, and best of all, trashing the bride's and best man's reputations in front of 300 friends and family members
So remember, kids, that even though "John Tucker Must Die" the esteemed Mr. Tucker is no better or worse than any woman out there.
The Idiot Box Proper
British actor Ian McShane has hinted his villainous Deadwood character will be killed off when the gritty western series ends next year. The gruff Sexy Beast star has become the bar owner TV fans love to hate in his role as tough-talking Al Swearengen on the Wild West drama, but he doesn't think the character will survive the final shows. He says, "Deadwood burned down a couple of times before it finally burned down in 1899. That was the end of the Gold Rush town, as it was known. I'm told my character died in the stockyards in Denver. Who knows what David Milch (creator and writer) will come up with?"
Makes sense – Al Swearengen IS "Deadwood" and for the show to end, he really has to exit, stage left. Al is one of the best, if not THE best, character on television right now, and is the only thing holding my interest in "Deadwood" (which has become too involved in its own poetic quirks, and has somehow transformed from the most manly shows on TV into one of the best chick shows on tv). Don't get me wrong, Seth Bullock is a great character, but Al is the guy that makes Deadwood tick.
Just days after Comedy Central finished airing the three "Lost Episodes" of Dave Chappelle's show, a DVD of the episodes is hitting the video stores today (Tuesday). Prospects of big sales for the disc appeared dicey, however, following word that ratings for the three shows took a dive, losing nearly half the viewers who tuned in last season. The episodes were spliced together from sketches Chappelle taped before his walkout two years ago and focus on how fame had affected his life. In a review appearing in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer, critic Melanie McFarland writes: "These episodes have a memorial quality to them and, like fame itself, their impact feels fleeting.... They make us feel like mourning more than anything. A groundbreaking series, one worth running home to watch, is history."
Last week I was at a party when a commercial for these episodes ran on tv. A guy who I didn't know shook his head with sadness and said… "Out of respect for Dave Chappelle, I will never watch those episodes."
I think the guy was onto something. Good call, whoever you are, wherever you are.
Japanese-American actor Mako, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles" has died from esophageal cancer, the spokesman for a theater company he co-founded said on Tuesday.
Mako, 72, whose birth name was Makoto Iwamatsu, died this past Friday at his home in Somis, California, northwest of Los Angeles, said Jay Africa, marketing director of the East West Players theater company Mako co-founded.
A fond farewell to Mako. We've all seen him in something, but for me it begins and ends with "Conan the Barbarian." Mako played the Wizard (who also so memorably narrated the story) in one of those classic supporting roles that helps make the whole film better. "Conan" is a classic, and will always stand as a testament to how funny and talented Mako was.
Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger may have scored the coveted role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel, according to press reports in Australia. The actor was reportedly offered the plum part last week and will star in the next installment of the film set to be released in 2008. Oscar-winner Robin Williams was reportedly desperate to land the role and The Da Vinci Code star Paul Bettany was also rumored to be in talks for the part. According to film website Moviehole.net, filmmakers wanted to cast an actor in the part of Batman's adversary who was roughly the same age as 32-year-old star Christian Bale.
Ennis Del Mar as the Joker?!? I've never been a fan of Ledger until "Brokeback Mountain" where he proved to me that he wasn't a pretty boy, he was an actor of great depth and range. I had never considered him wearing the white greasepaint, but now that his name has been spoken, I can't help but to think it's a great idea.
Anyone but Robin Williams, that's for damn sure!
In a first-of-its-kind deal, Fox has licensed all 53 episodes of its much-loved comedy Arrested Development to MSN, HD Net, and G4. This is the first time a Web portal has grabbed rights to a recent show, and the first time a show will run simultaneously on the Web and cable.
MSN and HDNet will begin airing the show in September, and each has a three-year rights window. MSN will offer the show free to its subscribers and plans on creating a community-driven Web space around the show. HDNet will air the series in high definition.
Now there is no reason at all that everyone in the world can't enjoy this show, which is once more for the record The Greatest TV Comedy Ever Made I don't care if it never comes back (and at this point I hope it doesn't) but it does deserve to be seen and beloved like the classic it is. Huzzah for free episodes!
Hero of the Week
Yeah, I know its supposed to be the Heel of the Week, but I decided to switch up this week, so I could give massive props to
Jay, the trash-talking, all-singing, all-dancing MVP of "Clerks 2." The movie overall was good. Not great, but good for a few laughs. Jay, however, stands out head and shoulders… as he usually does.
In particular, his interpretation of Buffalo Bill's crazy dance scene from "Silence of the Lambs," which is quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen… EVER.
Merle Vaughn is an ex-soldier, an ex-bodyguard for a Vietnamese druglord, an ex-con, and an ex employee for a local dope trucking operation. After his new wife is murdered, this lifelong killer and thug is now the single father of a four month old baby girl. Merle wants to protect his daughter, and he'll kill the entire city to do it.
I'm using the blog to post updates and chapters on a crime novel. It's tough, violent, brutal in spots, even – but there is more going on than crime. Check it out
And after that, head over to the Podcast Homepage where you'll find collection of all the Podcasts I've recorded with my buddies. Features yours truly expounding upon B movies, music, and dumb shit with a couple of actual journalists. It's called Scene and Heard. It is worth a listen, if only for my Barry White-ishly sexy voice. Word to that.
