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February 28, 2007
Black History Month: Final Day
Let's do a countdown of the honorees so far, and bear in mind they are NOT in any particular order.
1. The Boogeyman (Marty Wright)
2. Tony Todd
3. Samuel L. Jackson
4. Grandmaster Melle Mel
5. Joycelyn Elders
6. Ron Simmons and Booker T.
7. Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)
8. William DuVall
9. Billy Dee Williams
10. Dave Chappelle
11. Daley Thompson
12. James Earl Jones
13. Eddie Steeples
14. Meagan Good
15. Abdullah the Butcher (Larry Shreve)
16. Chiwetel Ejiofor
17. Keith David and Spawn
18. Aaron McGruder
19. Little Boogeyman (real name unknown)
20. Barack Obama
21. Shelton Benjamin and Monty Brown (a.k.a. "Marcus Cor Von")
22. C.C.H. Pounder
23. Tony Pierce
24. Jaye Luckett
25. Keith Ellison
26. Papa Shango (Charles Wright)
27. Nelson Mandela
and finally, number 28... (if you can't guess, I'll be surprised)
You didn't think I'd miss the chance to post this picture again, did you?
Posted by LYT at 12:02 AM | Comments (12)
February 27, 2007
Sensations
Just listened to my advance copy of the greatest album of the year.
Stay tuned...in the next few days and weeks, I'll be letting you know how you can get a copy.
Posted by LYT at 11:43 PM | Comments (5)
Spot of tea?
Come see this movie this weekend. Tell your friends. Then buy the DVD, which has me on it.
Posted by LYT at 5:09 PM | Comments (6)
Black History Month: Day 27
Nelson Mandela IS black history - he's lived it, he made it, and continues to do so.
Posted by LYT at 12:12 AM | Comments (2)
February 26, 2007
AAaaagh! F.U. Courtney Love!
I just heard Nirvana's "Breed" in a TV commercial for a Major League Baseball videogame.
Anybody think Kurt would have been cool with that?
Posted by LYT at 9:13 PM | Comments (23)
Black History Month: Day 26
PAPA SHANGO!
Because he used his magical voodoo wrestling powers to make the Ultimate Warrior vomit on national TV. And after seeing Warrior's latest comments about Martin Luther King, I kinda wish I had Papa Shango's talent.
Posted by LYT at 2:08 AM | Comments (0)
Wow
My Oscar-predicting "skills" were really fucking terrible this year.
I feel bad for Peter O'Toole.
Posted by LYT at 12:46 AM | Comments (2)
February 25, 2007
Black History Month: Day 25
KEITH ELLISON, the first Muslim-American elected to Congress. He's anti-war, in favor of single-payer health care, and he pissed off Dennis Prager by swearing in on a Koran rather than a Bible.
He's not the type to take his marching orders from Farrakhan, either.
Go Keith!
Posted by LYT at 1:02 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2007
wildly off-topic: can anyone recommend a good mass-market conditioner?
I used to use Herbal Essences conditioner for color-treated hair. But Herbal Essences recently gave all their stuff a makeover, and now it's all new and non-working and shit.
I DO NOT WANT a conditioner that gives my hair more body. It has ample body already. I want something that will make it stay flat and manageable. H.E. no longer achieves that, though it used to.
And something I can buy it mass-market. No fancy boutique shit.
Do any of my readers actually condition their hair?
Posted by LYT at 8:24 PM | Comments (8)
Black History Month: Day 24
JAYE LUCKETT, seen here using her phase-shifting powers.
What you may not know is that Jaye is technically the "blogmother" of this site, and in some ways indirectly responsible for me being a critic in the first place. She started by doing a zine, which I wrote movie reviews and such for. Frustrated with the production schedule, I decided to try doing a zine myself, which lasted until all my regular contributors disappeared; but by then, Jaye had moved to an online message board and journal (the word "blog" was as yet unknown to either of us).
I submitted reviews from both Jaye's zine and my own to New Times LA when they ran an ad seeking new critics. The rest is history. But before that, Matt King posted the very first of my zines online at a tripod hosted site -- the prototype for this one, perhaps. Jaye's many sites over the years eventually morphed into Poperratic.com.
Now, considering that Jaye seems to currently be in hermit-mode, can somebody tell her she's being honored?
Posted by LYT at 5:17 PM | Comments (10)
New Lucky McKee interview, regarding ROMAN
I still have no clue if my scenes made the DVD or not, but in the meantime, here's a talk with the star.
Posted by LYT at 5:12 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2007
Here are my E! reviews for the week
Posted by LYT at 7:19 PM | Comments (13)
Annual Obligatory Oscar post
I try to keep Oscar talk on this blog down to one post a year if I can help it, and it's time. As always, consider that my success rate with predictions tends to run around 60%.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
PICK: DiCaprio's inclusion for Blood Diamond is an absolute joke, and the year's worst delivered and written line might be "In America, it's bling-bling; here, it's bling-BANG!" Smith and Gosling are worthy, but we all know it's down to O'Toole versus Whitaker. Whitaker was very entertaining, but there wasn't an ounce of subtlety to his performance; he's still the favorite, but my money is on Peter O'Toole, who was the bets of the bunch. Though had it been up to me, I'd have nominated Tobin Bell for Saw III. If Anthony Hopkins can get it for playing Hannibal Lecter, the vastly more complex Jigsaw, who's actually been in some GOOD sequels, should as well. Bell is meticulous as hell in his role.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED
PICK: Rule out Djimon right away. Wahlberg should be happy for the nomination; he added a refreshing dose of humor to The Departed, but that doesn't merit a win. I thought Haley was a favorite, but conventional wisdom has it between Arkin and Murphy, who seemed to me to be doing stuff that comes fairly naturally to them. I'm not much of a LITTLE CHILDREN fan, but I'm going to support and pick Haley. If I had the chance, though, I'd give it to Ken Davitian from BORAT. I'm more impressed with him than Sacha Baron Cohen in that film - Sacha was doing stuff he'd done for years, but Ken was brand new, and did the naked dildo fight anyway.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN
Blah blah blah. Inevitably, and correctly...Mirren. Though Dench was awfully good, in more ways than one.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL
Jennifer Hudson is my prediction, since everyone's convinced of it. I'm not convinced that there's much more to her performance than emotive singing -- should we give Christina Aguilera an Oscar too? Put Hudson in a non-singing role, and I doubt anyone will find her Oscar-worthy. But she'll take it. Rinko Kikuchi is the best of the bunch here, primarily because she had to learn sign language to a natural proficiency, and make those weird high-pitched noises deaf people can make, all while flaunting her pantyless crotch. I hate to give BABEL much credit, but I think even we haters agree that the Japanese section was the best part. I'd have nominated Mandy Moore for AMERICAN DREAMZ, a much more complex performance than people give her credit for.
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Bleeah. Probably CARS, which was the most entertaining of the three, though the other two took more chances. A SCANNER DARKLY, RENAISSANCE, and PAPRIKA all deserve it more.
Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE
Pan's Labyrinth ought to win, but I've got a feeling PIRATES 2 will. And it's not undeserving.
Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE PRESTIGE
Children of Men should get its sole due here. Tracking shots, people. In any other year, The Illusionist might have a chance here.
Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN
Curse of the Golden Flower is in a whole different league from the other nominees.
Achievement in directing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93
United 93 is the best film in this category and of last year, but it's Scorsese's year.
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
All solid contenders, but Al Gore is the man. My favorite doc was Shakespeare Behind Bars, but no-one else seems to have even seen it.
Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS
Oh, who gives a crap? The short subject awards are a waste of telecast time. Shorts should have a separate ceremony, like the technical awards.
Achievement in film editing
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93
Dare I hope they'll throw this bone to United 93? I suspect not. I'm calling it for Children of Men. The real best editing of the year was Lady Vengeance, or Saw III.
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER
Pan's Labyrinth should take this, but I think The Lives of Others will. The fantasy and brutality of Pan's may alienate the fogeys, but there's nothing like a good anti-totalitarian tale.
Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Apocalypto all the way. Tribal body mutilations and tats on EVERY LAST EXTRA. Quantity and quality, plus gore effects.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN
I don't know. I'll predict Babel. Actual best scores were PAPRIKA and SAW III.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
"Our Town" - CARS
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS
"I Need to Wake Up" is the best one, but I think "Listen" has it. The real best song from a movie last year, however, as we ALL know, was "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It!)." And that Hebrew song from FREE ZONE that's catchy as hell even though I don't speak the language.
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
THE QUEEN is easily the best, but it won't win. I'm calling it for IWO JIMA, for the following reasons:
1. It's impressive for an American to make a movie in a foreign language, especially if he doesn't also hate Jews.
2. It's impressive for Clint Eastwood to make a sympathetic movie about an army fighting against America.
3. It speaks to the futility of war, which is a more current and pressing issue than language barriers, Irish gangsters, old monarchy versus new reality, or preteen beauty pageant road trips.
4. It's an action movie, but it also Makes You Think.
United 93 was better.
Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS
Lifted is the Pixar one, so bet on that
Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY
I hear Eramos Pocos is a favorite.
Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Every year, I hear someone ask what the difference is between sound editing and sound mixing. I'll give you the film school answer. SOUND EDITING is when sounds occur and for how long -- if you're watching a horror movie that depends on loud bangs, that takes good sound editing. SOUND MIXING is all about the volume levels on different audio tracks, and which speakers they come from, so if you're watching a movie set in a lush jungle that makes you feel like you're there, that's good mixing. I have to say I thought Poseidon was great at both, but it's not here. I'm going PIRATES 2 in both categories.
Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Pirates 2 again -- it was the first movie I've seen that had CGI monsters comparable to the glory days of Harryhausen stop-motion. And Davy Jones is a remarkable creation -- even his eyes were CG!
Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Children of Men deserves it, and has a decent shot. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story is even more deserving, but little seen.
Original screenplay
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN
I think this might be Little Miss Sunshine's token win, though I'd support The Queen or Pan's Labyrinth. But again, I think SAW III expertly filled in all the gaps of its greater story arc the way a third act should...especially since a trilogy was not even the original conception.
Saw III, suckaz!
Posted by LYT at 6:21 PM | Comments (2)
Black History Month: Day 23
If you blog in Los Angeles, or even if you read any L.A. blogs, you probably owe some degree of thanks to Tony Pierce. Chances are he's been doing it longer than you, he gets laid because of his blog, he's sold books based on his blog, and women send him naked photos because of his blog.
I've asked him how one achieves such results, and his advice was to tell people that's what you want. I did. But somehow I didn't manage to do it with that Tony mojo.
Posted by LYT at 6:00 PM | Comments (1)
And the cricle gets wider.
Semi-regular commenter Peggy C now has a blog that she's promised to update regularly.
Posted by LYT at 3:26 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2007
Black History Month: Day 22
C.C.H. POUNDER
She'll "pounder" you into the ground just by looking at you. Check out that stare!
I've been a fan since the Tales from the Crypt movie DEMON KNIGHT, which incidentally is a great movie for black history month, as it's directed by Ernest Dickerson and stars Jada Pinkett. Also in the cast is the amazing Thomas Haden Church, long before people thought he was Oscar-worthy (except me). And the soundtrack featured the debut of Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" which became a big hit a year later.
DEMON KNIGHT ruled. Dickerson hasn't been as good since.
Posted by LYT at 10:23 PM | Comments (5)
Dearth Mall
The gym is further from my house than the liquor store. One is clearly a better habit than the other. But either way, I feel low on energy so much of the time.
Been getting some of it back by eating cereal in the mornings, and saving the protein shakes for last thing at night. But still tired a lot - I think it has something to do with not socializing.
Went to the Westside Pavilion recently, and what used to be my favorite mall is eliminating everything I like. Spencers went first, then KB, then Suncoast. And now, even the health food place across the street is discontinuing my favorite brand of health shake.
Possible country music title: "Everything that I like has been discontinued."
Later this year, though, Westside Pavilion gets the mega-art-house multiplex theater with restaurants and bars and shit. And I have an annual pass to any Landmark theater, so I might just spend whole days there.
But why is it that every mall nowadays is only boring, generic women's clothing stores that all look the same? Remember when there used to actually be record stores in malls? Or places that sold cool T-shirts? or toys?
The mall may be a totally outmoded thing now. But it used to be the best friend of a kid with an allowance.
These days I don't have anything to spend, so maybe it's just as well.
Posted by LYT at 3:40 PM | Comments (13)
February 21, 2007
Black History Month: Day 21
A TALE OF TWO NAMES
This is Shelton Benjamin. A WWE talent who is truly amazing in the ring, and has stolen the show at the past two WrestleManias. Not as good at giving interviews, but he is improving.
The trouble, as I see it, with getting to the top level for him, is that the name "Shelton Benjamin" doesn't fit easily on a T-shirt. Nor does it roll off the tongue. Had I gotten the writing job, I would have pushed to change his name to "Shelly B." Maybe he can still be huge without a name change; I hope so.
On the other side of the coin, this is Monty Brown:
Brown is a former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and the Patriots, and has played in the Superbowl. When he became a pro-wrestler, he quickly rose to main-event level in TNA. With his power physique and charisma on the mic, a WWE run was inevitable.
Now they have him. And you'd think they'd play off his name recognition.
Nope. Nowadays, they're calling him "Marcus Cor Von," and the announcers pretend to know nothing about his past. Like why he uses a football tackle as a finishing move.
The name change was apparently so that WWE can trademark his identity. So why didn't they do that with Shelton?
By any name, both men are a pleasure to watch in the ring. But the name thing is ass-backwards.
Posted by LYT at 12:11 AM | Comments (13)
February 20, 2007
Black History Month: Day 20
Since we just got done with President's Day weekend, it seemed about right to run a picture of America's first black president...
Hey, if even Cathy Seipp's daughter is willing to consider him, we're talking serious bipartisan appeal.
Posted by LYT at 12:06 AM | Comments (4)
February 19, 2007
So as not to keep anyone in suspense...
Justin Stone, codirector of the fabulous movie MOTEL, GLIMPSE and costar of "Gayman 2," volunteered his services to direct my reality show audition tape. So if the casting agents don't like it, we will now know point blank that they are wrong.
Posted by LYT at 8:58 PM | Comments (7)
News that isn't too Awesome
Former ECW world champion Mike Awesome has died, at age 42.
WWE fans may remember him from both the "Invasion" angle (during which he won the Hardcore title) and the first "ECW One Night Stand" show put on by WWE, in which he reprised his feud with Japanese nutcase Masato Tanaka.
Awesome has been retired since One Night Stand. He claimed that WWE offered him a contract to join the new ECW and get squashed by Big Show, but he turned them down.
Given Awesome's physique, I certainly have a theory about the cause of death. But we'll see.
EDIT: Apparently reports have it as a suicide. It's always sad to me when someone with millions of fans feels that unloved.
Posted by LYT at 2:35 PM | Comments (8)
Black History Month: Day 19
Earlier, I went to the WWE pay-per-view event NO WAY OUT. It was pretty cool -- I somehow had scored seats on the "premium" level of Staples Center, so we got better food and booze than the plebeians.
But anyway, the highlight match was a tag-team bout with midgets. Fighting Irishman Dave Finlay and his Leprechaun, "Little Bastard," against the Boogeyman and Little Boogeyman. The match ended when Finlay whacked Little Boogeyman in the head with a shillelagh.
Boogeyman was the first honoree for Black History Month on this site. For pure entertainment value achieved yesterday, I feel like honoring Little Boogeyman.
Posted by LYT at 12:52 AM | Comments (4)
February 18, 2007
So now that I have a camera...
...any of my nearest and dearest feel like playing cameraman/woman?
This is not a project for the casual acquaintance. It deals with my personal life in more detail than I use on the blog.
PLEASE, somebody, Monday is a holiday so help me out so I can put the tape in the mail Tuesday morning!
I can shoot it myself if I must, but it won't be as good.
Posted by LYT at 11:36 PM | Comments (3)
Black History Month: Day 18
AARON MCGRUDER
I wish "The Boondocks" still ran in the daily paper. I liked it better as a strip than a cartoon show. But maybe I just need to watch more of the cartoon show.
Posted by LYT at 1:24 AM | Comments (1)
February 17, 2007
Black History Month: Day 17
He's arguably the most familiar black superhero in the world, but I'm not sure how many people are aware he's black. For one thing, Spawn is clad head to toe in a living costume. And when he takes it off, he's burned and skinless, proving that, underneath it all, we really are the same color -- pink and squishy.
Now, I know some will say it's cheating to pick a fictional character. And you're right, in that Spawn was created by a whiter-than-white hockey-loving Canadian. But the success of Spawn, and the fact that his race is almost never made an issue, says something, I think.
But the real-life guy to honor here is the voice of Spawn on the animated series, an actor well known for his deep cadences (he is the next James Earl Jones, pretty much) and frequent character roles, usually as a hardened military man.
I give you KEITH DAVID. You know you've seen him somewhere before, and now you know the name.
Posted by LYT at 6:27 PM | Comments (1)
Hit it, baldie, one more time
Britney Spears has shaved her head. I still think she's a beauty. In fact, I think baldness is the truest test. And if you sleep with a bald chick, you don't get hair in your face.
Not that I've ever done that. But I have had the hair in my face.
Posted by LYT at 6:10 PM | Comments (9)
URGENT: I need someone with a movie camera that works
A huge opportunity may be completely lost to me if I can't shoot some footage this weekend. Every single option I have tried has failed, petered out, or is in stasis.
HELP!
Final product must be VHS, mini-DV tape, or DVD, so getting it to that format is necessary this weekend too. But no editing/post is required.
can it really be that I know of no-one equipped for this?
Posted by LYT at 2:29 PM | Comments (5)
Grandfather Q&A: Part Six
[Following all the reader questions, I asked two follow-ups. I thought the answers worth sharing - LYT]
1. When it comes to prayer, do you think people can change God's mind about something? Doesn't He have better information and instincts about how to conduct whatever divine plan there is than any mortal? (I know the phraseology of this question is quite literalistic - interpret it as loosely as befits your conception)
2. You say that Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ seems sadomasochistic. Considering that one of the Christian church's central rituals involves the metaphorical drinking of blood and eating of flesh, and most churches contain an image of a bleeding man with nails brutally jammed into his body, as well as language about how his blood is essential to our own redemption, and his painful death necessary to save us...is it not fair to say that sadomasochism is somewhat inherent to the tradition, and Gibson may only be reflecting that?
1. I personally don't think we ought to try to change God's mind but have to admit that both the Bible and the majority of Christians disagree with me. My main concern is change happening to myself and to those I pray for. On the other hand I do pray for peace and even occasionally for rain or fine weather. I think this is because it seems natural to ask for what you desire even if you know the weather won't change in the least because of our desires and that the coming of peace depends on human effort more than on anything God might do. It just seems natural to share one's desires with one's friends; so why not with God?
I spend a lot of my prayer time in contemplative intercession, by which I mean that I first take one of the biblical sayings attributed to God or to Jesus, such as "My peace I give to you." I repeat it many times seeking to be deeply aware of God and then address the people for whom I wish to pray, one at a time as from my Lord; the idea being that I am in fact sending peace to each person from God. It could of course be love, compassion or any other good thing, just as long as the words I use are ones attributed to God or to Jesus.
Of course I can't prove this or any other type of intercession does any good; but it feels good to me and is not a request to God to change his mind but rather to fulfill his own purposes for us.
2. You have a very good point here and I think it's quite true that sadomasochism plays a big part in the thinking of many Christians. Of course the hope is that the unacknowledged sexual connotations are just non-existent as of course they are unconscious. "In the cross of Christ I glory." is a typical passiontide hymn and it's based on the teachings of S.Paul. There are also many Christians who harp on the theme of being washed in the blood of Jesus, an idea which has sound biblical roots but which I personally object to precisely because it is so liable to be misunderstood.
The theory behind all this however is perfectly acceptable in my eyes. It is that God, far from being the impassible being way above all suffering, did indeed suffer in the person of Jesus and does continue to suffer with and in us human beings to-day. It is undoubtedly true that the Church has from time to time rejoiced not only in the sufferings of Christ but also in the infliction of torture or even death on "heretics" as well as deliberately courting martyrdom, like the modern Islamic suicide bombers.
These of course are just my personal opinions. I claim no certain knowledge but hope what I say may be helpful.
-- Peter Graham.
Posted by LYT at 1:44 PM | Comments (3)
February 16, 2007
Altering one's words
I guess there's been a big debate in the blogosphere about how a liberal blogger altered a conservative commenter's post by making it sound like the guy was into incest.
When it turned out that the commenter's sister had died of cancer, that certainly made the whole thing seem assholish on the part of the blogger. But the debate over altering comments is a stupid one.
Oh sure, if someone does it to brand new posters, or just anyone they disagree with, it's obnoxious. But what if someone incessantly posts profanities on a blog where such language is clearly not welcome? Even rabid rightie site Little Green Footballs apparently has an automatic feature that replaces the word "raghead" in any comment with "arab," or something like that.
What was done in this case isn't quite the same thing. But I'm not opposed to the principle; in fact, I've modified comments before, most notably when one anonymous jerk came on here and kept posting personal attacks against me and commenters like offpat, based on the fact that I liked the movie BLOODRAYNE. After logical debate failed, I simply rewrote his post in a way that redirected his insults back at himself. I've said from the beginning that personal attacks may be modified or deleted. Modified is sometimes more fun, and I've really only applied it to one ranting loon; not because he attacked me, but personally attacked another commenter who was being civil.
Bottom line: If you deliberately piss somebody off, it's a little silly to expect that they'll treat you nicely, fairly, or anything else on their own website. If it's a political site, however, you'd hope an exchange of ideas would prevail over such matters.
Posted by LYT at 5:37 PM | Comments (6)
Black History Month: Day 16
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, seen here in the movie SERENITY.
Not much I can say about Chiwetel (pronounced chew-it-tell) that I haven't already said
Posted by LYT at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)
Ghost Rider review
now posted over at E!
Posted by LYT at 12:13 PM | Comments (3)
February 15, 2007
Grandfather Q&A: Part Five
Tim McGarry asks: ""Peter, how would your life have been different, if you had not been a person of faith? If you were to suddenly lose your faith, how would your life change? I'm particularly interested in your view of the extent to which your values and conception of right and wrong depend on belief in God and life after death."
To your first question I don't think it's possible to give a rational answer. If I were not me but somebody else how could I even guess what I'd believe or how I'd act?
On the second, I'm not sure whether it is possible for me to suddenly lose my faith but I imagine that if I had some dramatic physical accident resulting in brain damage I might lose any part of the contents of my mind, including faith. If belief in the divine nature of Jesus Christ were no longer to be part of my mindset or if belief in the reality of God were to vanish, I think there would be two notable changes in my life. I presume I would stop praying for other people or for anything else. Since my main form of prayer is contemplative, I might continue to do the next best thing and simply indulge in meditation. I don't suppose I could continue to attend the worship of the Church, though I just might for solidarity's sake. It is possible that I might join the Quakers, since they have no formal creed and believe, as I do already, in the great humanist principle that we should never do anything wilfully to hurt anyone.except where to do so is demonstrably in the other person's interest, such as is often the case for a surgeon.
I think I might be able to continue my life guided by the principle that I should as far as possible conform my life to the pattern of unconditional love towards everyone, which is the most obvious characteristic of Jesus Christ.
As for my values and ethics, I doubt if NOW my belief in God and in life after death make a great deal of difference but then I'm not yet a Saint. I like the answer to that question given by Coventry Patmore. He said: "The Saint does exactly the same things as any other decent person would do, only slightly better and with a totally different motive." The totally different motive is of course the intention to be as far as is humanly possible one with God.
Matthew King asks: "As a British man, What do you see for America in the next 100 years?"
I have two utterly different ideas about where America will be going in the next 100 years. One of these is optimistic the other quite the reverse. I think I must start from the general perception of the USA that is held by most non-Americans. This is quite simple: whereas America was respected, admired and even loved a generation ago, now it is the most hated country in the world. Once America was a power for good. The general respect dropped quite a bit during the last 20 years or so, revived slightly over the events of 9/11 but very quickly went from bad to much worse with the ridiculous war on terror, which has turned your country from being the great peace-loving and peace-making nation into the biggest enemy of freedom and peace. America is certainly feared. We never know what country is going to be the next to be bombed because it's behaved badly or against American interests. This is all the general perception among those I know in this and other countries. So the pessimistic forecast is that people who think like George Bush will continue to hold the reins of power. America will forge for herself a great empire - almost as great as the one we Brits acquired in the 19th century. Just as we did your leaders will sincerely believe that they rule for the benefit of the nations they conquer. Sooner or later the lesson will be learned but if it isn't we shall face the doomsday scenario of widespread nuclear war. But climate change is already pointing us in the same direction.
The optimistic alternative is that the next administration will be of the calibre of some of your great presidents of the past and will actually behave - as was promised by your government and ours - according to the provisions of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and start on a prompt destruction and abandonment of your nuclear arsenal. There will be a massive increase in taxation of those who can afford to pay it, a real effort to eradicate poverty in the US first of all and then in the rest of the world. Global warming will be taken so seriously that cars with high carbon emission will be taxed out of existence. There will come to be a true acceptance of the finite limits of the earth's resources and a greater desire to take only a fair proportion of them. No oil should be imported into what is in fact an oil-rich USA.
I can't see ALL of this happening in a hurry but I do think much of it is possible. Much of my negative criticism applies equally to our own leaders. That doesn't matter so much from the world's point of view because relatively few people now look to us for help or guidance. America is undoubtedly the mightiest nation on earth and it could become the greatest. I hope and pray that it does.
Peter Graham
Posted by LYT at 10:28 PM | Comments (1)
Black History Month: Day 15
ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER -- the "Madman from the Sudan," born Larry Shreve of Georgia. Wikipedia says he's 70 years old now, which I find unlikely. Regardless, Abdullah is one of the all-time great wrestling characters, and is being honored with a new action figure this year.
Notable characteristics include scars on his head so deep that he can stick poker chips in them, and gigantic man-boobs that extend all the way around his body, and allow him to conceal weapons (usually a fork) within the folds of his flab. Trained in Judo, he never gave interviews, and always played the part of a dangerous lunatic.
Nowadays he runs Abdullah's House of Ribs and Chinese Food in Atlanta, GA. He never worked for WWE/WWF, but put in his time in every other promotion you can think of. Along with the likes of Freddie Blassie, The Sheik, and Terry Funk, Abby paved the way for today's hardcore matches.
When the prototype of his new figure was shown a couple days ago at Toy Fair, fans complained that Abby's bitch-tits weren't big enough. Apparently the toy company is working to remedy that.
Most memorable Abdullah match I ever saw -- A "chamber of horrors" cage match where the object was to get a member of the opposing team strapped into an electric chair and throw the switch. Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley accidentally ended up making his own partner Abdullah into the unluckily barbecued loser.
Posted by LYT at 10:18 PM | Comments (1)
Here's another news story I did
check it out, if you like.
Posted by LYT at 5:26 AM | Comments (1)
February 14, 2007
This one goes out to the ones I love.
Posted by LYT at 6:36 PM | Comments (1)
If you can't spend the day with a loved one...
...you can always spend it with, uh, a Tyler Perry movie?
Posted by LYT at 5:55 PM | Comments (0)
Grandfather Q&A: Part Four
offpat writes: "I would want to ask more about how he does see positivity - in the USA and other parts of the world - and if he sees negativity what are the best things positive, patriotic but not (jingoistic), people should do?"
On the positive side I don't see a great deal of change since we spent 4 months in California in 1980. Then we had a wonderful experience of friendships made, generosity towards us and amazing hospitality. One thing that has changed a bit is the increased liberalisation of the Episcopal Church. While it still hasn't made much progress in the field of the environment it has made notable progress in its attitude to women and to Gay and Lesbian people. The consecration of Gene Robinson and the election as Presiding Bishop of Katherine Jefferts Schori make the point clearly.
All this is exciting but I fear the world is still dominated by negativity. What can we do? Among many positive things that can be done by patriotic but not jingoistic folks I list a few:
1. Write, speak. strive for a greener world and in particular for a greener USA, bombarding people with the readily available figures about America's (and to a lesser extent the UK's) gross overuse of non-renewable resources.
2. Learn wherever possible to walk or cycle instead of using the car.
3. Stop sprinkling lawns in California with water from the Colorado river that is far more needed in Mexico.
4. Urge higher taxes on fossil fuels and for the sake of the army of the poor of your own country as well as in the third world.
5. Talk freely about this government's abuse of power and the non-fulfilment (in the UK as well as in the US) of the terms of the non-proliferation treaty which bound all the nuclear powers to work towards total nuclear disarmament.
6. Stop using the death penalty and sending people to prison for life.
7. Outlaw the use or possession of handguns except for the police and the armed forces.
8. Learn to know and understand and abandon prejudices over Israel and the Palestinians.
Against all this negative stuff, I rather think the American constitution is just about the best thing of its kind in the whole world. If only Americans were not so dominated by the power of money to counter-act so many of its good intentions, it could be the model for every country which George Bush seems to think it actually is right now.
More when I've the time.
Love and best wishes,
Peter.
Posted by LYT at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
Black History Month: V-Day
Meagan Good would be an awesome valentine.
Rian Johnson knows her -- she was in BRICK. But I bet he never introduces us.
Bastard.
Posted by LYT at 12:24 AM | Comments (5)
February 13, 2007
SCREENING OPPORTUNITY
Who wants to see GHOST RIDER thursday night?
Nicolas Cage plays a biker whose head turns into a flaming skull.
"How'd it get burned? How'd it GET BURNED? HOW'D IT GET BURNED?????
Posted by LYT at 2:01 AM | Comments (11)
Black History Month: Day 13
THE MAN!
You probably know him as either the Rubberband Man or Crab Man. I know him as my costar in three independent films -- LOST IN THE BUSH, THE LOST, and LOVINDAPOCALYPSE 3. He's also the most famous friend I have, arguably, with the possible exception of Clu Gulager.
But my favorite Eddie Steeples story to date is the time I took him to the press screening of his own movie, TORQUE...because he hadn't seen it yet! He downed a paper-bagged beer in the car, and bought me some shots before the screening. The bartender's specialty that night was Southern Comfort with lime juice, which ain't exactly premium shot material in my book, but I never question drinks bought for me.
After the movie, lots of middle-aged moms who recognized the Rubberband Man were crowding him. He stayed to talk to everyone who wanted. And he's still the most down-to-earth "celebrity" I know.
But the real reason to admire Steeples is that he has cooler hair than mine, which is a hard, hard thing to do.
Posted by LYT at 12:46 AM | Comments (5)
February 12, 2007
Pathetic Earthlings...
Who will save you now?
Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...
Posted by LYT at 10:49 PM | Comments (1)
Black History Month: Day 12
James Earl Jones!
Not a month goes by that I don't hear someone impersonate him, to my face, claiming to be my father. A word to the wise: "Luke, I am your father" is not a line of dialogue in any Star Wars film. The line is "No...I am your father!" Period.
But you can't beat that James Earl Jones voice -- how many other actors have seen toy helmets made that change the kid's voice to sound like them? Which is why it's confusing as hell that Lucas dubbed in a new Vader line to the EMPIRE special edition that clearly isn't the man himself.
Posted by LYT at 12:53 AM | Comments (2)
February 11, 2007
Black History Month: Day 11
Daley makes my daily!
[A Daley Thompson old-school videogame, and Daley nowadays]
U.K. Olympic decathlete, gold medalist in 1980 and 1984, and fourth place in 1988. Me and my dad use to joke that we were related to him (hey, he is half-white...but not on the Thompson side!). In the days before energy drinks were commonplace, he was well-known for endorsements of a rather disgusting glucose soda called Lucozade (which was used as a nickname for me a time or two in my life).
More info on Daley, and many others, at a site called 100 Great Black Britons.
Posted by LYT at 7:49 PM | Comments (3)
Best Flamewar Ever
I strongly urge readers to check out the ever-evolving comments battle going on at Pererro right now between Bradley J. Fikes and MarioGeorgeNitrini111(The OJ Simpson Case).
Best Internet entertainment I've had in quite some time.
Posted by LYT at 6:47 PM | Comments (4)
February 10, 2007
Toy Fair 2007: KHAAAAAAAN!
Mutilated, bloody Khan, even.
Posted by LYT at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)
Toy Fair 2007 [updated]
The New York Toy Fair is going on this week, and images are slowly rolling out of some of the stuff that'll be in stores later this year. As it continues, I'll be following all the footage and posting a few links to the things I suspect my readership might be most interested in.
To start with: OFFICE SPACE figures!
Todd McFarlan'es Twisted Christmas -- Snowman!
Jack Bauer from 24
Posted by LYT at 5:13 PM | Comments (6)
What the fuck is going on in Hollywood today?
The boulevard is shut down, as are many streets leading to it, and traffic is ridiculous.
It might have benefited me, though. I went to a casting call for a new reality show, and there were only two other people there.
Posted by LYT at 12:55 PM | Comments (6)
Black History Month: Day 10
"I'm Dave Chappelle, bitch!"
I was going to post a Youtube of Chappelle's "Niggar Family" sketch, but figured it could be interpreted the wrong way by someone who didn't know the deal. Viacom has purged many versions from Youtube, but you can still find it there if you're so inclined. (hint: try misspelling his surname with only one "p")
Anyway, the premise is that a '50s white sitcom family has the surname "Niggar." You could guess the rest -- but I reckon Dave came up with something funnier and more transgressive than you or I could have.
Like much of America, I anxiously await Dave's next project, whenever he's ready. His show is already a classic in my book.
Posted by LYT at 2:46 AM | Comments (1)
February 9, 2007
Why E! Online is awesome
They'll let me review the two biggest movies of the week.
Posted by LYT at 4:46 PM | Comments (1)
Black History Month: Day 9
"How you doin', Chewbacca?"
Lando was always my favorite Star Wars hero as a kid, probably because the figure had a cape. But also, he was the most ambiguous -- Lucas can CGI Greedo shooting first all he wants, but no amount of CG trickery can mitigate Lando's betrayal, an act that could only be redeemed by blowing up the second Death Star.
As a kid, I also liked that he didn't seem to be interested in women (I hated the love stuff). Needless to say this is a striking example of youthful naivete on my part, and displays an obvious lack of additional Billy Dee knowledge.
I also loved the spinoff novel "Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu." I wonder if it would seem as good if I reread it today.
Posted by LYT at 4:26 PM | Comments (3)
February 8, 2007
Black History Month: Day 8 [updated]
It's [not] Elvis Presley's birthday today [but I believed Pererro when they said it was], and many in the black community feel that he owes his entire success to taking the songs, moves, and singing style of earlier black musicians.
In the spirit of affirmative action, I give you William DuVall:
...who has successfully taken the songs, moves, and singing style of dead white male Layne Staley, and kept Alice in Chains sounding killer.
I'm not sure why there aren't more black musicians in heavy metal. You'd think Hendrix might have inspired some.
And no, Lenny Kravitz doesn't count, because he sucks.
Posted by LYT at 12:51 PM | Comments (11)
February 7, 2007
Hmmm
Judging by the Amazon reviews, it looks like the new Passion of the Christ DVD contains both the original theatrical cut and the recut. That wasn't the sense I got looking at it the store, but at the same time you'd think a "definitive" set would have to include the original.
If that's truly the case, I'll buy it. I don't suppose any of my readers already own it and could clear this up?
Posted by LYT at 2:27 AM | Comments (0)
Black History Month: Day 7
Don't make Mr. Eko whup you with the Jesus stick!
I can't pronounce the actor's real name, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, so I vote for him to change his name to Eko, because it's awesome. But that's being culturally elitist.
A former model, he made his big-screen debut in CONGO. And I'll bet some of you didn't know this, but he isn't African-American.
Though he's been in many movies and TV shows, he has never yet used his natural speaking accent onscreen, which is...English. Later this year, McFarlane Toys will debut a talking Mr. Eko action figure. It's about time.
And don't forget -- LOST begins again tonight, at its new time of 10 p.m. Even though they killed off Mr. Eko, it's still a good show.
Posted by LYT at 12:02 AM | Comments (11)
February 6, 2007
Action figures for Black History Month!
They're kind of expensive, and unfortunately only seem to be sold in a pricey set of three, unless you live in the Baltimore/DC area. I'm not that into the Colonial guy, but the other two are pretty cool.
Posted by LYT at 7:11 PM | Comments (5)
Ozzfest tickets are free this year?
Ticket price, isn't the make or break thing here for me, though. It's that fucking hellish Hyundai Pavilion, in the middle of the desert with no drinking fountains.
Last time I ever went to Ozzfest it was free for me, via a comped ticket from New Times. And I left before it was over, because waiting in line for an hour just to pay for water got REALLY old, really fast.
Do Ozzfest at Irvine/Verizon Wireless, like Lollapalooza used to, and I'll go. But not Hyundai; never again.
Posted by LYT at 6:38 PM | Comments (3)
SCREENING OPPORTUNITY
Anybody interested in seeing Eddie Murphy's "Norbit," tomorrow night?
Posted by LYT at 3:59 PM | Comments (7)
Put some passion in your Valentine's Day
Did anybody else know that a new DVD of The Passion of the Christ came out today?
Back when the first, bare-bones disc came out, I suggested that a special edition was likely on the way for the following Easter, and that it seemed cynical and un-Christian of Mel to double-dip on the faithful. No such disc arrived, and I apologized. Not that Mel likely cared.
But now, three years on, here's a "definitive" edition, with two commentary tracks, and a second disc full of extras. The commentaries both feature Mad Mel -- one with the cinematographer, the other with theologians, who, I'm assuming, are conservatives that agree with Mel's take on things.
Is this, though, really "definitive"? It doesn't contain the theatrical cut of the movie, but rather a recut version, though there's no indication on the package if this is the same edit that was rereleased in theaters as "The Passion Recut," ostensibly with less violence, yet unrated because the MPAA still wanted to give it an R.
The brutality is the movie's most distinctive quality. I would hate to think that Mel suddenly decided not to make it so extreme.
On the other hand, since it's a different version of the movie, no-one can accuse him of double-dipping.
He should've put it out before the drunk driving thing happened, though.
Posted by LYT at 2:49 PM | Comments (2)
Want to feel inadequate?
My former classmate Rian Johnson is directing a movie called THE BROTHERS BLOOM, with Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Rinko Kikuchi, lensing in three different countries or so.
Congratulations to him. And if he's reading this, please give me a job. Please!
Posted by LYT at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
Black History Month: Day 6
A twofer today.
The first time I went to see a live wrestling show in Asheville, NC (not my first ever, but the first of many in Asheville), the first match featured Ron Simmons. If I recall correctly, his opponent was Scott Hall, who would go on to become Razor Ramon.
Ron later became the first black world heavyweight champion in pro-wrestling history, by beating the legendary Leon "Vader" White. Yes, the outcomes are decided -- but for about 80 years prior, none of the deciders had deemed a black man worthy.
Nowadays, he's reduced to a one-word catchphrase. Damn.
[Scott Hall never got the world title]
The second black world champion in wrestling (who would go on to be a five time WCW champion, and 1-time -- so far -- WWE World champion) is one of the most decorated wrestlers ever. And you can still see him doing his thing in the ring on Smackdown.
All hail King Booker!
Booker T is the originator of my favorite wrestling catchphrase never to make it to a T-shirt: "You damn skippy...HIPPY!"
Posted by LYT at 12:23 AM | Comments (4)
February 5, 2007
Black History Month: Day 5
Joycelyn Elders - first black surgeon general, and the first to say we should teach that masturbation is safe sex, and consider legalizing drugs.
You gotta love that...but President Clinton didn't.
I had a chance to hear Dr. Elders give a talk at USC -- she had no regrets about what she said, and no ill will towards Clinton either, recognizing that it was strictly politics. She had said her piece, and wasn't afraid of, or bothered by, the consequences.
You don't see that in Washington much.
Posted by LYT at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 4, 2007
REMINDER - your feedback still sought
Don't forget - I want to hear your thoughts on which are the best four out of these 13 reviews.
Posted by LYT at 10:56 PM | Comments (7)
For real?
France is banning public smoking?
What's next - banning wine?
I probably shouldn't be so surprised. If they can ban public smoking in Ireland, it can be done anywhere.
A positive sign of the times, anyway. We need all we can get.
Posted by LYT at 2:21 PM | Comments (10)
My Grandfather's Column
[Editorial note: This one was inpsired by us! -- LYT]
Do we need Monogamy?
I have been asked whether or not there is any form of consensual sex that's immoral. From a liberal Christian point of view this is not so simple as it seems because the Christian tradition has developed over the centuries in a pretty anti-sex direction, so that all of us who were brought up traditionally have tended to believe that the only proper physical sexual relationship was that between marriage partners. Since that is, rightly in my view, an unjust, unreasonable and outdated belief the question is how far down the line towards total promiscuity should we go?
I don't think any Christian can challenge the statement that Jesus saw marriage as the ideal norm for human sexual relationships. He certainly condemned adultery (but not adulterers). We have no record of anything said by him about homosexuality. I have come to the opinion that we have to distinguish between at least three kinds of sexual behaviour among consenting adults. Since I, like most thinking Western Christians, accept that there should be no condemnation but rather complete affirmation of lesbian and gay people in the same way as we accept straight people, I believe in homosexual unions as every bit as OK as marriage. However marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman for life. That is the ideal and for Christians it symbolizes the union between Christ and Christian people - the Church.
We don't live up to the ideal and we are constantly in need of and receive forgiveness. It remains true that divorce is an evil, though it may well be the lesser of two evils. The thing that makes marriage or civil partnerships the ideal is the element of commitment that is intended to be permanent. So top marks go to committed couples, living monogamously whether they be straight or gay.
I'd give next highest marks to couples who make temporary commitments. Such are those who enjoy serial monogamy, remaining faithful to each other while it lasts and making sex a genuine expression of love.
Finally I have to think about those who remain single. Some do so for serious purposes like those who enter religious orders. The confirmed bachelor who likes to sleep with as many people as possible whenever the chance comes along is still a lot more acceptable than those who abuse, molest, rape or otherwise show spite rather than love for their "partrners/victims". However I don't like promiscuity. I see it very often on TV these days. There, as in real life, it does not promote happiness or the greater good of anyone concerned.
Ideally physical sexual expression belongs to committed love, which it enhances. Anything less is second best.
-Peter Graham
Posted by LYT at 12:25 PM | Comments (1)
Black History Month: Day 4
"not a laser beam, or a diamond mine,
or a platinum watch, or some vintage wine,
not a pocket full of pearls, I'm an oil well!
Like black gold, baby...MELLE MEL!"
The first rap record -- not CD, not cassette -- I ever owned, was "Steppin' Off" by Grandmaster Melle Mel, whom I'd seen in the movie BEAT STREET. It probably still would be my favorite rap album if it had ever made the transition to CD.
The image above is from a would-be comeback album that didn't do so well. But back in the '80s, it was obligatory for all rap albums to give props to Mel.
Not that any of those were real easy to come by in Ireland. But I remember a New York cab driver back in the day being amazed that I liked rap, and telling me and my dad stories about how he went to school with Melle Mel and Flash. May have been BS, but it seemed real cool at the time.
Posted by LYT at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
February 3, 2007
"Good relations with the Wookiees I have...Not!"
"The street performer doesn't have any affiliation with Lucasfilm," said company spokeswoman Lynne Hale. "Nevertheless, we are disappointed that someone dressed as Chewbacca would behave in this way."
Posted by LYT at 5:34 PM | Comments (6)
Secret Origins?
Jaye writes today on her plans for Black History Month:
"One of the most meaningful aspects of my presentation, was to introduce many of you to blacks who never got the credit they deserved for their level of influence among their peers.
And though not nearly on the same level, it seems a bit weird and ironic to follow through with this today, to find that my frlend LYT has appropriated it as his challenge to all bloggers to do something similar, and apparently this is leading to others' desires to do the same... but naturally, I forsee that nowhere down the line will it be acknowledged where the idea came from.... right here."
I'd have to note that I don't think I'm doing quite the same thing, and I hope that she does follow through with introducing us to blacks who never got the credit they deserve. My thing here is to post contemporary black people I admire -- everyone ELSE is doing the great deceased historical figures, and I don't know of anyone else who's doing the really obscure ones, so there is a void there.
My reason for doing so may have subconsciously borrowed something from Jaye - however, the more direct influence comes from a memory I have from 1989, where director Robert Townsend was on TV, and he rattled off the names of the ten most famous black actors in the country. He then said "name ten more." The guy interviewing him didn't, and I couldn't either. The point now is to see how much things have changed since then. (Note that I grew up in a country that was 99.9% the whitest people you've ever seen)
Jaye writes: "LYT suggests that it would be hard to think of 28 different African-Americans for each day of this month, and suggests that persons of mixed race might be included to increase the possibilities."
Of course if we were just naming any black people, it'd be easy. but the point of my exercise is to find 28, currently working, that I, personally, not just like, but admire -- those whom I consider to be among my very favorite celebrities. And since I'm not a sports fan, and most of the music I listen to is fairly "white," that rules out many of the obvious -- I'm sure any football or baseball fan could name 365. Then there are also black celebs I plainly do not admire, like Tyler Perry or Alan Keyes, or those I admire in some aspects but dislike on others, like Al Sharpton.
I don't give admiration easily. And I'm not trying to score points -- I want to see something for and about myself.
Also, I never said "African-American." We don't as yet call it African-American History month, though that may be supposed to be implicit. I'm going to include a few Brits, however - that's my heritage too.
Food for thought: Could you name 28 American Indians alive today that you personally admire? Leonard Peltier, Evan Adams, Adam Beach, Tatanka, Wahoo McDaniel, Irene Bedard, John Trudell, Russell Means, Litefoot...I'd have to do my homework to find more.
I for one would love to know more about the lesser-known folks Jaye was planning to spotlight. It's probably a much more interesting thing than what I'm doing just by posting pictures - like the difference between commemorative stamps and a museum.
I don't think I appropriated anyone's idea here, beyond the general cultural one of the month, but if I did in any way, I'm sorry -- especially sorry if it means I don't get to learn stuff that I'd like to as a result.
[ADDENDUM: Just occurred to me that Wahoo McDaniel may in fact be dead. I think I remember hearing that.]
Posted by LYT at 1:32 PM | Comments (11)
Black History Month: Day 3
Enough is ENOUGH!
I have had it with this muthafuckin' history in this muthafuckin' month!
Posted by LYT at 1:57 AM | Comments (5)
February 2, 2007
New E! review
You should go read it now because I said so
Posted by LYT at 4:20 PM | Comments (1)
Black History Month: Day 2
Tony Todd!
Tony Todd!
Tony Todd!
Tony Todd!
Tony Todd!
Blogging will continue if Tony Todd doesn't suddenly materialize behind my back and murder me.
Posted by LYT at 12:01 AM | Comments (2)
February 1, 2007
Happy Black History Month!
Time to celebrate one of my favorite African-American entertainers...
[Addendum: I don't know if I can stick to this, but I'm issuing a challenge to all bloggers, myself included, to post a picture of a different contemporary black person they admire, every day this month. If we can do it, it may signify some kind of progress, I dunno. No dead people are allowed, and half-black people count, so yes, you can use Prince, Maya Rudolph, Barack Obama, and The Rock]
Posted by LYT at 10:43 PM | Comments (15)
Always Remember
No doubt you heard the news yesterday about a series of Lite-Brites placed all over Boston to promote the AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE TV show and upcoming movie. It seems Boston was one of only 10 cities to overreact to these items, calling in the bomb squad and shutting things down until the cops could figure out exactly why terrorists would proudly sport logos of cartoon characters flipping people off.
A regular reader from Boston sent in a photo to depict the extent of the tragedy suffered by all his fellow Beantowners...
Posted by LYT at 10:13 PM | Comments (4)